Lies
by EmeeEms
Summary: Someone's twisted dream has consumed "the perfect world." Sakura and company answer the cries for help but will they be able to escape the nightmare once entering it? Rated for violence in later chapters. R&R. SEE ITS SEQUEL
1. Introduction

Reprise: Sorry again everyone. I've been trying hard to make my intro to this story as best as possible to make sure it draws people to it.

It's still a crossover with my series (lots of updated and detailed info on it can be found at my site but don't worry, I'll make sure it's not confusing in the story).

Note: this chap

ter was updated 12/2/09 to fix small errors

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Disclaimer: I do not in any way own CCS…and it suuuuuuuuucks

Claimer: I do own Dreamcatchers (DC)….mine…isn't it, Lloyd?

Lloyd: yup

Me: Whoo!

* * *

**Lies **

**Introduction**

_Do you remember me?_

_The one you loved so dearly._

_The one who was left behind to rot with sorrow._

_Well I'm still here...dreaming of you._

_But it won't make you come back._

_That's why I'll do my best now._

_To dream further than the norm._

_For all is fine when life's a dream._

_For when life is the sweetest lie._

Silence filled the scene as light endlessly fell from above, snowing peace down and bits of hope. But, the misery that dwells around lingers still, even in this sweet place between dimensions. This place was dim and tinted with a blue hue and was peaceful and quiet; still within perfection as all things dark and ominous are unable to corrupt or leave it in ruins.

The sounds of someone running echoed and slowly grew louder, accompanied by their heavy breathing. It was a girl with long black hair, held back in two low, loose pigtails tied with white ribbons. She wore a black jumper that went down just above her knees and underneath, she wore a white blouse; a black necktie was around her collar and tucked behind the jumper. Her black boots pounded hard into the snowy ground and in her desperation, she tripped and fell to the ground. Small whimpers emitted from her lips as she struggled slowly to get up. She was down on her knees, her deep brown eyes staring down at the ground and filling with tears. All over her body were bloody scratches, which pained her to the bone. From behind, someone approached her slowly, kneeling down to her side and patting her back in comfort. She looked up to see a boy with very dark messy brown hair, his bangs hanging over his light amber brown eyes, which glinted with concern. He wore dark blue pants and a black shirt; a black hooded trench coat was over it. The girl looked and noticed his hand was injured and bloody and without hesitating, she untied one of her ribbons from her hair and wrapped it around his hand. After that she untied the other ribbon and used it to tie back her hair into a low ponytail. The boy smiled at her and she smiled back only to painfully lean against him in agony. He patted her on the shoulder and helped her stand up.

"It'll be okay," he assured her.

"No…no it won't," the girl denied, "This won't work..."

"Yes it will…" he said again, "Now go on….go somewhere safe and wait."

The girl shook her head in refusal and became more upset with him. She felt like a traitor abandoning a fellow soldier in war but he assured her it was for the best.

"What will happen to you? What if-"

He cut her off as he placed his hand gently over her mouth. She looked at him with her tear-filled eyes as he removed his hand and then looked down.

"Please…I'll be okay, I promise," he said as he held out his pinky finger, "Promise me you'll go somewhere else away from our home where you'll be safe. It's the only way left to confuse our attackers."

"But…I don't want to leave you by yourself…I want to help…like always," she said, "I feel…too guilty to leave."

"Don't be," he said smiling, his pinky finger still waiting for hers, "It'll only be for a little while…now please promise me that you'll go somewhere else…just for a little bit..."

After a few moments she linked her pinky finger with his reluctantly but with the promise that she'd soon return to help aid him once more. The sounds of menacing laughter suddenly began to echo throughout the peaceful place, followed by wretched and agonizing moans and screams. These terrible cries told them that there was no more time left for them and the girl forlornly turned away from her friend and began to run away.

"Don't look back!" he shouted to her as she ran, "Don't stop running and don't turn back! I'll be okay!"

He shouted out to her until she was no longer in his sight and he stood there alone, listening to the sounds of the blood-curdling screams that echoed around him. No matter how hard he tried, he could not ignore the sounds of agony that spiraled within the darkness. Though they cut through him like a serrated knife, he somehow felt invigorated to fight once again. The thought that his dear friend would, for a while, be out of harms way only strengthened his spirit; either that or it weakened him to his core.

The girl ran as fast as she could, the screams behind her still audible. They echoed with pain, never getting softer or louder and among the screams of the miserable was the sound of malicious laughter. Each blood-curdling cry was followed by a malevolent laugh. She closed her eyes and hummed something sweet in an attempt to drown out the nightmare behind her. Yet this lovely hymn wasn't enough to completely comfort her; only the thought that her friend would be okay when she returned kept her going.

* * *

Far off in some unknown place where the trees swayed with the gentle wind and the people soundly slept, a bright light emitted from inside an old warehouse. It was large with rusted metal doors that were firmly shut. A white light peeked through under the space in the door but even the late night walkers who drove and walked by didn't notice. It was a mysterious place that caught no one's attention, even as the light grew brighter. The light suddenly disappeared; fading away into the night and moments after did the door slightly open. Something unknown swept away and into the night as other things slipped through the doors and followed.

Inside a small yellow house, a young girl with auburn brown hair suddenly awoke from her sleep, her emerald green eyes snapping open suddenly. A new and outlandish sensation poking was at her all over and she could not find a source for it. It was different from any other presence that she had felt before but just as quickly as it came did it leave. She suddenly felt drowsy and felt her eyes become heavy. Laying her head back down on her soft white pillow, the young girl fell back asleep. The girl, however, failed to see a single pink card glowing on her desk, also awaken by the strange feeling. The card seemed to take to the feeling in a different way then the girl, glowing brightly and facing the window expectantly. It was as if there were whispers calling out from somewhere out there in the town and only did the card called DREAM seem to answer….

* * *

_I am sorry for I am weak on my own. But the dream that burns within me shall allow me my well deserved control. Against all odds I can do what normal people can…as well as what they cannot do. I know I am not the monster of this world but I can be just like it. It is my dream, my nightmare's perfection that all shall know of and accept. Those who can't forsake me will hear my voice again..._

_I will find you..._

_You who had wronged me..._

_I will regain the joy you had stolen from me..._

_I will no longer be still and silent…._

_I will get what I want…even if I have to drag everyone down with me in the end…._

_For it my sweetest dream…_

_World that is a dream._

_Can you not sleep again?_

_Wake not to the sight of your true reality._

_All is a dream, all is a lie._

_All as this suite of cards come into play..._

_To be continued… _

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Reprise: Yayness, I like this intro much better and I hope you all do too. Be sure to keep reading. Please R&R!


	2. Fairytale

Reprise: Hey I'm trying to be more active like I used to. Before, both the intro and 1st chapter were combined but I didn't want it like that. I hope the intro wasn't boring, I'm having a hard time here. My hands have been aching constantly and I can't think anymore XD

Just so everyone knows, the story takes place after the last episode. Syaoran didn't tell Sakura how he feels yet and both he and Eriol are still in Tomoeda. There…all clear 3

Enjoy!

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Disclaimer: I do not own CCS…wish I did

Claimer: I do own DC…go me

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**Lies **

**Chapter 1:**

"**Fairytale"**

_The gears of time continue to turn,_

_reflecting the image of a lost innocent._

_Someone from another fairytale_

_Stepping into another reality._

_Won't someone please come and make things right_

_before the gears begin to rust?_

There was a sense of nothingness. A pair of emerald green eyes opened at the sight of a dim empty scene, nothing but snow falling from above. There underneath the gently falling snowflakes stood Sakura. Her eyes scanned her surroundings for anything out of the ordinary but everything looked the same. She opened her hands to catch a snowflake, realizing that it wasn't at all cold. But, amidst this quiet place came a strange noise. It sounded like something echoing, close to the sounds that a hump back whale made. It was both eerie and beautiful and where it exactly originated from was unclear. She looked behind her and saw what looked like a blank wall, the only place where the scenery around her seemed to completely end. Ahead of her, she could barely see anything but she could've sworn that there was also another blank wall where the scenery ended but it was too far for her to be sure.

But then…what was that? Something standing before her underneath the falling snow? It was! It was the silhouette of a small child. At first, the child's face was unclear, hidden by shadows.

"Who…are you?" asked Sakura softly.

Slowly, the figure began to move closer to her and although Sakura felt a bit tense, she didn't move from her spot. As the child came closer, Sakura could now make out their face. Before her stood a small girl, around seven years old. She had short dark brown hair that went just above her shoulders, the front slightly longer but almost unnoticeable. In the back, part of her hair was tied back, leaving the rest to stay down. The girl had amber brown eyes that didn't seem at all happy but serious. She wore a dark teal hooded coat-like dress that went down to her thighs. Underneath, she wore black pants with brown boots. There were two things that stood out to Sakura, one was obvious: the girl was covered in blood. She herself didn't seem to be bleeding anywhere, which made Sakura slightly uncomfortable. The other thing she didn't notice right away…. on the girl's head above her ears were light brown rods, similar to hair clips. However…they didn't appear to be hair clips. They looked like they were attached to her head and as Sakura stared at her with curiosity, the girl turned towards her.

"You're dreaming, you know," said the girl.

"What?"

"You have to wake up and find them," she whispered.

"Find…them? Find who?!"

The girl looked at Sakura, her fierce eyes shimmering with intensity. Sakura felt her body grow numb and suddenly every thing around her went dark. Sakura no longer saw the girl or the snowy scenery before her. There was only darkness but the faint echoes of something still resonated.

"_Dre-…-chers….fin-…-em…"_

The word was barely audible to Sakura but as she strained to hear, she felt the sudden warmth of something against her face. She could then see a bright light and as it got brighter, the feeling got warmer as an annoying sound went off in the background. It sounded familiar…it sounded like…

"Sakura! Wake up!"

The alarm clock rang continuously and she sprang up from her bed; her eyes still sleepy. Hovering over her, she saw Kero, his beady little eyes were filled with frustration.

"Finally, you're up," she said, "Morning Sakura."

"_It was…just a dream?"_ thought Sakura.

"Hey, I said morning!" shouted Kero, upset that he wasn't heard.

"Oh, morning Kero."

Sakura yawned and stretched her arms into the air before getting up and out of bed. She took a look at the clock and was surprised to see that it was early.

"…Wait…what?"

"You set it early, remember?" Kero reminded.

"Oh, yeah."

She got dressed in her winter school uniform, the fact that she didn't have to rush this morning put a smile on her face. But, in the back of her head she was still puzzling over her strange dream. Once ready, she turned and kneeled down to the bed and faced Kero.

"I'll see you after school," she said, "My dad and brother won't be home so you'll have the house to yourself."

"Yes!" exclaimed Kero, "That means I'll get to eat downstairs!"

"Don't eat everything," she warned, "I left some sweets in the top right cabinet in the kitchen for you. You can eat those but nothing else until I get home, okay?"

Kero gave a smile and nod, promising to only eat when was left behind for him. With that said, Sakura grabbed her backpack and hat and went downstairs for breakfast. She was about to turn back and tell Kero about her strange dream but she decided to wait until she got home.

After breakfast everyone left the house; Sakura and Touya left for school while their dad was on his way to work. From Sakura's bedroom window, Kero watched them leave and without hesitation, he flew downstairs to the kitchen. From afar, a flat diamond-shaped object hovered in the air near a tree. Two other objects appeared from behind it and they began to glow, blinking at each other as though they were talking. The three objects then swiftly flew towards the house, going though its side like ghosts. Inside, Kero didn't notice a thing…

* * *

Down the street, a girl with long black hair tied back loosely in a ponytail with a single white ribbon tiredly trudged along. Her brown eyes were dull and full of fatigue; she had been walking all night and was exhausted. Despite this, she didn't trust stopping to take a rest in some strange place and continued to walk.

"Oh, I'm so sleepy," she softly said to herself.

Without realizing it, she came to the end of the sidewalk and had a choice: turn left or cross the street to the right. However, this decision wasn't what she first noticed. The first thing she noticed was the sun. Before, she had been walking in the middle of the night and then in the shade made from the trees that lined the pathways. She hadn't even realized that the sun was out and now that she knew….

"Ahhhhhhh!" she squealed with delight, "The sun! Sun! Sun! Sun! SUN!!"

She raised her arms in the air with open palms, soaking in the warmth of the sunshine. She opened her eyes and saw that people were staring at her. She immediately stopped and slowly put down her hands. She let out a small and uncomfortable laugh as she rose back to her feet and continued to walk. She went left.

Horrible and painful thoughts raced through her weary mind and she limped on. But her pain surpassed physical injuries for something deeper lingered inside. Though the sight of the sun and the feel of its warmth quickly brought her to joy, her pain resurfaced just as fast. The girl hadn't been paying much attention to where she was going and before she knew it, she had wondered all the way to some university college. She didn't realize what it was or who was around. The only thing she saw was a nice shading spot under a tree, the perfect place to rest. She felt more comfortable taking a rest in the day then at night. The girl sat down and leaned against the trunk of the tree, her tired eyes trying to stay open. But, it was to no avail and as she drifted to sleep she saw the two flat objects appear next to her.

"Someone make it end," she whispered

The objects hovered over her, blinking back and forth to each other with concern. There was then the sound of footsteps approaching and the objects became nervous. They quickly hid in the girl's pocket as someone approached her. It was a woman with long dark hair and blue eyes hidden behind a pair of glasses. The woman wore a light bluish-gray dress shirt and a dress coat over it along with a brown skirt. She was carrying a black leather bag that appeared to be that of a teacher's. The woman looked curiously at the now sleeping girl and kneeled down. The girl was out cold and the woman noticed all of her injuries. Without giving a second thought, the woman carefully picked the girl up and brought her inside the college.

* * *

Kero stuffed another spoonful of pudding in his mouth and savored it. Since he occasionally lost track of time when eating, Kero moved the bag of snacks back up to Sakura's room where he's be able to eat worry-free. He was surrounded with wrappers from all kinds of sweets and he attempted to play video games at the same time. However, this was too hard a task and he paused the game. Sweets came first. As he continued to stuff his face, he failed to notice the flat object slip through under the door. It carefully made its way to the pile of candy wrappers but accidentally touched one, making a crinkling sound. Kero's ears twitched and he turned around to see the object lying next to him on the floor.

"What the heck is this thing?" he asked as he tapped it.

Upon touching it, the object blinked and then began to glow. As it glowed it seemed as if it stretched and got bigger but it was only until the light dimmed away that he saw what had really happened. It didn't get bigger but instead was now connected to a mirror almost the same size as one of Sakura's school notebooks. Kero crawled back over to it and tapped on the glass only to see a hand appear on the other side and copy him; tapping the glass from behind. Kero was taken back by this and jumped backwards fearfully as the hand began to come out from inside the mirror. He watched as another hand appeared from inside the mirror and grasped the side of the frame as it slowly began to pull itself out from the mirror…

* * *

The classroom was filled with noisy students as Mr. Kinomoto rummaged through his briefcase. They had just finished their last lesson for the chapter and he though that he would treat them to a different kind of history lesson.

"Today, we'll be talking about something very special," he began, "It's about a legendary world that is known to be absolutely perfect."

He held up an old book. The cover was old and worn out, so the book's title was unreadable. Despite that, everything inside was in good condition. Everyone got a copy of the book and inside they began to read.

"_This world is called the R-Area. The entire lands within this place are full of beauty and life where many kingdoms live in peace. There are many forests, some which go for miles as well as lakes and oceans. They seem to separate each kingdom, making planes the best way to travel from place to place. Everything and everyone, humans and animals, live there equally_."

The students were captivated by the book's words, dreaming of this mysterious and wonderful place. Some whispered to others of how they wished the world wasn't just a legend and others wanted to go and find it

As the mysterious girl lay sleeping in the nurse's office of the university, the two flat objects flew out from inside her pocket. They flew to the door, slipped out from underneath and began down to hall, making their way to the nearest classroom: Mr. Kinomoto's.

* * *

It seemed that Mr. Kinomoto wasn't the only one teaching his students about the perfect world of the R-Area. Mr. Terada was also sharing the myth of the supposedly perfect world and just like at the university, the students were all drawn into the story. Sakura stared at the wonderfully sketched pictures inside the book. Every picture was breath taking and it all seemed like a fairytale and yet she herself had seen many odd and mysterious things. To her, it wouldn't be that surprising if a place like this truly did exist and she wondered if magic surpassed her own world. The students continued reading eagerly, hanging onto each word.

"_Long ago, in a place that is known to be between dimensions, there was a world where everyone's dreams and nightmares were located. Every night when people went to sleep and every time people daydreamed, a dream or nightmare would be created. As a whole, they are referred to as Images. They were always inside mirrors that had gems on the top. The mirrors could disappear and the gems would only be visible. When inside these mirrors, the Images were nothing more then illusions created by the mind._

_But, one day a powerful force made its way into their dimension. The feel of its power made the Images uneasy and one by one they all shattered their mirrors and escaped, making their way into the R-Area. It took centuries for them all to escape and the people in the R-Area thought that they were all shooting stars flying through the sky. Then, after so long, power made its way to the final Images, the strongest of them all. They were special and their gems were flat but still as heavy as a normal gem. Instead of breaking their mirrors, they pushed themselves from inside their mirrors out of their dimension. They made their way to one of the kingdoms and the king of that kingdom found and took care of them. However, he would not be able to keep them forever and years before he passed away, he had informed all the royal families of all the kingdoms about the images that were released into the world. He warned them to keep it a secret from the public so that they would be safe. He locked the special Images away in a wooden box, which then disappeared from the kingdom_."

As everyone whispered to each other about the story, the bell rang and class was now over. As Mr. Kinomoto packed his things, he noticed the two objects on his desk. Not knowing how they got there, he took them with him as he mad his way down the hall. As he went down the hall, he saw the young girl sitting down on the bed in the nurse's office. She was awake now and frantic, searching all over for something. Curious, he walked into the office and greeted the girl.

"Is there something you're looking for?" he asked nicely.

The girl looked at him and noticed the two items that he was holding. Her eyes lit up at the sight of the objects and she cleared her throat nervously.

"There!" she pointed.

"Oh, these are yours?" he asked as he handed them to her, "I found them in my classroom. I wonder how they got there."

Upon seeing the girl, he realized that she wasn't at all old enough to go to the university and was about Sakura's age. He was about to ask her where she came from when the woman with the glasses approached him.

"I found her outside asleep," she explained, "It seems that she has no home and I would take her to mine but I'll be gone a couple days on a business trip so I can't."

"I could take her if she wants," he volunteered as he turned to the girl, "What do you say?"

The girl looked at him curiously, surprised by his offer. Knowing full well that she had no where else to go and that rejecting him would be a mistake, she agreed.

* * *

School had ended but Sakura, Tomoyo, Syaoran and Eriol were still nearby reading the books that they were handed in class. They were completely engrossed in the story and were curious about the things that Mr. Terada wasn't able to explain.

"It says here that the people who catch the Images are called Dreamcatchers," said Tomoyo.

"It also says their job will never be done though," added Sakura, "That must be tough."

"Yes it does sound that way but," began Tomoyo as a twinkle appeared in her eyes, "that would mean there'd be a never ending amount of things to film!"

She held her camera up as she looked into the sky, her twinkling with bliss as the others merely stared at her. To Tomoyo, that is what would make that world perfect: tons of wonderful things to film without an end. After looking at the books a bit more, the four of them decided to go home. Sakura had forgotten all about her strange dream that she had after learning about the R-Area and the Images. Once she was at her house, she noticed that she was the first one home. Touya had work tat night but her dad would be home soon. Sakura ran up to her room, excited to show Kero the book she had, but when she came to her bedroom door, she could hear Kero talking to someone. She heard the video games and wasn't exactly sure if he was just talking to the game characters or not. Sakura opened the door and saw Kero playing his video games…. with a small girl. She was a small girl with light skin and pink eyes. She had long pale blonde hair and wore a yellow dress that looked like it was made out of sunflower petals. She wore no shoes but instead had ankle bracelets made of flowers on both ankles. She had small pink and blue flowers in her hair and a headband or crown made of flowers and vines on her head. Sakura stared in disbelief at the young girl as she and Kero played video games. She girl saw Sakura and happily stood up and walked over to her. She held out her hand and a small flower appeared, which he gleefully gave to Sakura. The small girl began to hop around the room and Sakura quickly grabbed Kero.

"Where did she come from?!" she asked nervously.

"From that," Kero said as he pointed to the mirror that was still lying on the ground.

_**Flashback **_

From inside the mirror, a small girl poked her head out and looked at Kero who was still staring in shock. The girl smiled and waved contently as she pulled herself out from the mirror. The girl began looking all around the room and tapped on the TV curiously. Kero realized that the girl, though strange, was innocent and he showed her his video games. The girl clapped playfully as she watched Kero skillfully play the game and before he knew it she was too.

_**End of Flashback**_

Sakura stared at Kero and then looked behind him to see the mirror that he had mentioned. She put him down and kneeled down beside the mirror. Sakura tapped the glass uneasily and was surprised to see the young girl pop up in front of her and mimic her; tapping her finger on the mirror too. The young let out a giggle and clapped happily as she continued to hop around. Desperate to hide the girl, Sakura tried to catch the energetic girl.

"If you came from that mirror then you need to go back!" Sakura yelled.

The girl only laughed playfully, thinking that this was a game. Sakura almost caught the girl when she heard the sudden sound of her dad's car pulling into the driveway. She froze and looked out the window to see her dad stepping out of the car. She quickly ran from the window and tried to get the girl without let her dad see or hear anything. She failed to see the black haired girl step out of the car too, walking along side Mr. Kinomoto.

"Here we are," he said kindly, "Oh I forgot to ask you your name."

At first, the girl only stared at the house, her eyes full of suspicion. Her eyes were more focused on the very top window: Sakura's room.

"Miss?"

"Oh!" said the girl, realizing that he was speaking to her, "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"What is your name?"

The girl paused and as she looked back up at the top window she answered,

"Jubilee."

_What is this that has come to be?_

_Yes, someone from another reality._

_someone who brings a desperate plea to_

_to stop the telling of her story._

_Will the outcome of this act be_

_a happy ending or one full of tragedy?_

_To be continued…_

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Reprise: There! Done! Took me a while since I kept going back and changing it in an attempt to make it more interesting and shorter XD I hope it's fine. I promise it'll be good and I know that it seems like a K+ story but it'll get more…violent. Anyway, I hope you liked it

Please R&R


	3. That Which is Fake

Reprise: Okay, I'm on a roll!….yeah…alright, whoo!

I'm tired at truth but the story must go on, yes? I can't disappoint anyone…although I'm not yet sure people are reading XD Anyway, shall we continue?

Enjoy

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own CCS…okay, I don't have any witty addition to that fact XD

Claimer: I do own DC…I rock.

* * *

**Lies**

**Chapter 2:**

"**That Which is Fake"**

Once upon a time

_there was a princess._

_She was loved by all in her_

_land of perfection._

_Despite this she wished to leave_

_and fled from her fairytale._

_What reasons would she have_

_for wanting to stop her story?_

_What reason does she have for hiding_

_her frown behind a false smile?_

Mr. Kinomoto walked into the house, the girl now known as Jubilee followed. At first, she was reluctant, uneasy about entering a stranger's house. Even though she now knew him, to her, he was still a stranger and nothing more. The only thing forcing her to enter was the fact that she had nowhere else to stay.

"Sakura!" called Mr. Kinomoto, "Come downstairs. There's someone I want you to meet."

Up in her room, Sakura was still having trouble catching the energetic girl and now that her dad was home, she couldn't use magic to stop her.

"Okay dad! One minute!" Sakura called back.

Sakura grabbed the mirror that was on the floor and was prepared to catch the girl by using it like a net when the girl suddenly stopped. She stared at the bedroom door as Sakura stood in front of her, out of breath. The girl then turned to Sakura and willingly returned into the mirror. Once inside, the mirror disappeared and the flat heavy diamond-shaped object remained. Sakura stared at it in disbelief and Kero flew over to take a look at the object. The object was yellow and the only thing on the flat surface was a flower and on the back of the object was a strange symbol. It was a circle with many lines crossing back and forth and a smaller circle in the middle where all the lines met. In the symbol was the symbol for dream in hiragana (note: if you don't know, two characters make up the word "yume" which means dream. So, one character (Yu) is on the left of that small circle in the middle of the symbol while the other character (Me) is on the right of the smaller circle). Below the middle circle was a crescent moon and above the middle circle was the sun. On the sides of the whole symbol was a pair of wings. It was a symbol that both Sakura and Kero were unfamiliar with, although Sakura had sworn she'd recently seen it before. Below the strange symbol was one they were familiar with. It was the word flower written in kanji.

Before she could do or say anything else about the object, she heard her dad call her again. Sakura put the object on her desk and ran downstairs while Kero turned off his video games. He flew over to the desk and sat next to the object. Before he didn't feel it but now it was clear as day. There was much power emitting from the object…something he has never felt before. He didn't notice the DREAM card on the table flicker with light.

Sakura wearily came down stairs, still trying to catch her breath from before. As she entered the living room, she welcomed her dad home but stopped short after seeing the new girl standing by the door. Sakura curiously looked the girl over; she wore a black jumper with a white blouse underneath, along with a black tie tucked underneath and black boots. The bottom of her dress was tattered and she had bandages on her legs and on her forehead. Her appearance puzzled Sakura and she wondered what the girl had been through. Sakura's dad hung up his coat and then walked next to the girl.

"Sakura, this is Jubilee," he introduced, "One of the teachers at the university found her outside an took her in. She had no where to go, so I brought her here."

"Oh. Hello," greeted Sakura as she gave a quick bow.

However, Jubilee seemed tense and only let out a small hello without looking. Fujitaka welcomed Jubilee to make herself comfortable as he went into the kitchen to start dinner. At first, Jubilee was hesitant to sit down but her legs were too tired to keep standing. She looked at Sakura with blank eyes, which made her a bit uncomfortable. Sakura decided to help her dad make dinner rather then stay with the strange girl. Jubilee sat still on the couch and only looked towards the staircase.

"_When I get my chance, I'll go up there,"_ she thought.

* * *

The skies above were gray and forbidding as a shadowy streak flew by. Another flat diamond-shaped object hide from the shadow's sights inside a bush. On top of the object was a small beige and white hamster. She peeked from out of the bush, her beady little eyes looking fearfully at the sky. After looking around two more times, the object flew off; the hamster clinging to the top. More shadows from above appeared and spread throughout the area, sweeping the streets and looking inside buildings. Some of the shadows had beaming red eyes while others had none at all and yet they all seemed to have minds of their own. They were looking for something and with each block they went to, they were getting closer…

Sakura paced back and forth in her room uneasily. Kero and the young girl inside the mirror watched her curiously.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"It's that girl," replied Sakura nervously, "She hardly talked during dinner and wouldn't really eat, even though she looked pretty hungry. I keep thinking that she's giving me looks."

It was true that Jubilee had been keeping an eye on Sakura and it gave her chills. Was it possible that this girl didn't like Sakura? If so, then that may be the third time that someone new came along and didn't like her at first, the first two being Syaoran and Meilin. However, it didn't seem as if she was glaring at her with anger so much as suspicion. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't shake the feeling that Jubilee was nearby. Sakura sat down on the bed and let out a sigh and Kero flew over to consult her.

"Who is she?" he asked.

"Her name is Jubilee and she had no where to go so my dad let her stay here."

At the sound of her name, the young girl hopped out from inside her mirror and, once again, began to run around before going through the door like a ghost. Sakura jumped up from her spot in shock and swiftly ran to the door and was about to open it when she heard something on the other side. Sakura slightly opened the door and peeked through to see Jubilee and her dad. He was showing Jubilee where she'd be staying for the night and afterwards went back downstairs, leaving Jubilee alone to look around. She had a determined look on her face as she looked around. Suddenly, the young girl popped out from inside a closet and greeted Jubilee with a wave and a giggle. Sakura held her breath in fear and braced herself for whatever was about to happen.

"Floral!" said Jubilee as she placed her hands on her hips.

Sakura and Kero were shocked and exhaled. The young girl only spun around playfully as Jubilee watched her unhappily. Two other flat objects flew out from inside her pocket and floated at her side.

"Floral, what have I told you about just coming out of your mirror like that?" scolded Jubilee, "You should know better."

She then turned to the other two objects.

"And you two, why did you let her come here on her own? Who knows what she did here."

The objects only blinked in response and Jubilee sighed in defeat.

"If only I could understand what you're saying…"

Jubilee mentally smacked herself as the young girl now known as Floral continued to dance freely. Jubilee pulled out a pendent from inside her shirt and looked at it. It was a crescent moon and was glowing brightly.

"Wait a minute," Jubilee said, as she pulled out a crescent moon pendent from in the shirt.

The pendent glowed brightly and she looked back at Floral who spun around with joy.

"I know what's with you! Look, I know you're happy about being able to move again but you have to calm down," she warned.

The girl hopped up and down in response to her and Jubilee shushed her to be quiet. The girl only mimicked her as she danced, holding her index finger to her lips playfully.

"Stop it! Get back in your mirror and we'll go," she ordered her, "These people expect me to stay the night. No! I refuse to stay here with a bunch of outsiders!"

Floral looked at her and then nodded. She began to glow and turned into nothing but light that flew towards Sakura's door. Sakura and Kero quickly realized that if Floral returned to her mirror, Jubilee would find out that they were watching her. Thinking fast, Sakura slid the mirror onto the floor in front of the door. The light entered the mirror and it then disappeared, leaving only the flat object visible. The object floated to Jubilee, who put it and the other two back in her pocket. Turning around, she went into the room and closed the door, whispering something that was too soft to make out.

* * *

Night soon fell and there was silence throughout Tomoeda. Everyone was asleep except for a few. Sakura lay in her bed, uneasy, thinking of what she had seen before. Jubilee obviously wasn't a normal girl and the fact that the young girl, Floral, knew her proved it. Then there was Floral all together. What was she? Sakura then remembered that she had come out of a mirror and as she turned around to lie on her side, her eyes caught sight of the book she had gotten from school. Her sleepy eyes widened and she suddenly shot up from her bed and grabbed the book. Looking through it, she read the same things she read at school and the familiar words matched the description of Floral and the mirror. It all then made sense. Sakura quickly knocked on her bottom desk drawer and out peeked Kero, sleepily rubbing his eyes.

"W-What is it?" he asked with a yawn.

Sakura held up the book in front of him.

"I know what that girl was now!" she said with excitement, "And I know who that Jubilee girl must be too. It's all here in this book!"

She set it on the floor and Kero began to study it. As he read, Sakura got a strange feeling and quietly left her room to look at the one that Jubilee was supposed to be staying in for the night. Each step she took towards the door creaked eerily and Sakura kept expecting someone or something to pop out at her. A strange warm sense came over her as she slowly turned the doorknob, trying her best to go unheard by anyone. The feeling got stronger and gave Sakura chills down her back. The warmth was almost unbearable as if a fire was burning inside her, each moment getting worse. Ignoring the feeling that was going through her, Sakura finally opened the door a couple of inches and upon looking inside, she saw…

Nothing.

The room was completely empty, only the emotions that Jubilee must've been carrying remained. Sakura took a step inside the room, perplexed to see that Jubilee was gone.

"She really did leave," Sakura said to herself, "But this feeling is still here."

Sakura wrapped her arms around herself and shivered slightly from the feelings that were still poking at her. From behind, Kero flew next to her.

"You were right, everything in that book matched that girl and those flat things that were with her," he said.

Kero then felt the feelings in the room and shivered. He flew towards the opened window and looked outside, the feeling still present.

"There's a trail," he said.

"We have to follow it," Sakura said as she ran back into her room.

Once she was dressed again, she released Mirror to take her form to cover for her incase anyone came in her room. After that, she climbed out her window and began to follow the trail, Kero following close behind. As she followed it, she called Tomoyo, Syaoran and Eriol to help. Mirror watched them go from out the window, a looked of concern was on her face. There was something about Jubilee and the flying objects that made her and the other Sakura Cards anxious…all except for DREAM.

Sakura had met the others near Penguin Park. The trail was still strong and Syaoran and Eriol could also feel it. Upon hearing what had happened concerning Jubilee and the flying objects, the three of them were shocked.

"Are you sure this wasn't just a dream?" asked Tomoyo.

"I'm sure! This feeling is so strong and unsettling," Sakura said, "She must've gone this way."

They walked a little more until the trail finally went cold. It was now centered in the area that they were in and only there. Looking around, they saw nothing but darkness yet there were strange sounds coming from all directions. They were a collection of different noises that were merged together, making it unclear to tell what was what. But, soon the noises began to soften as the familiar sounds of footsteps approaching and they quickly hide in the bushes. From in the shadows walked out Jubilee, the three flat objects floating from behind. She then fell to her knees tiredly and the three objects hovered over her with concern. She let out a heavy sigh as she looked ahead and closed her eyes. From afar came a scream and her eyes snapped open. Coming towards her was another flat object with a small round "thing" riding on the top. Jubilee quickly stood up as the object came to her and the "thing", upon seeing Jubilee, stopped screaming. The little beige and white "thing" was in fact….a small hamster.

"At last! I've found you!"

"Momo!" yelled Jubilee.

"Ah," said the hamster as she held up her paw and shook it, "Momo-chan."

Jubilee smacked her forehead with frustration.

"What are you doing here?"

"What? You expect little defenseless me to stay in our world like that?! No sir," replied Momo, "Besides….umm…."

Momo trailed off as another cry echoed ahead. It was more of an angry and eerie shriek then a cry for help. From above the trees, the head of a shadowy creature popped up, howling towards the sky. It looked similar to a dragon with a narrow face and two pairs of eyes; one pair below the other. They were glowing red and its teeth were jagged like a saw. It glared at Jubilee as it leaned its head forward.

"Oh come on."

"Yeah uh, he followed too," added Momo.

The creature made a sudden move and its tail crashed into the pavement below like a whip. Jubilee jumped back just in time and as the creature came closer, she continued to dodge each of its blows. However, Jubilee made one wrong move and tripped a large rock that stuck out of the ground. She fell and hit the ground hard and as she struggled to get up, the shadowy creature reshaped itself into a smaller version of itself. Its glowing red eyes beamed down the injured Jubilee who looked up at it with a worn face.

"_Why do you run_?" it asked in an eerie voice that echoed, "_You know you can't escape it. Now be a good girl and return to your world_."

Jubilee grimaced at the creature from the painful words it spoke. She slowly began to crawl towards the creature, breathing heavily and speaking slowly.

"I'll go back…on my own!"

She suddenly shot up from her spot and released a series of long white semi-transparent ribbons that seemed to appear from her back, grabbing the creature by the neck and attempting to strangle it as two others tried to slice it. Despite her efforts, they did nothing and the monster broke free from her grip, throwing her backwards. She hit the ground hard again but this time she got back on her feet quicker. She took out her pendent and tightened her grip around it, glaring hard at the creature.

"_Why bother with it, child?_" asked the creature mockingly, "_It no longer works, remember? The power of the Images continues to fade away, leaving you unarmed and in danger's way._"

"No, it no longer works in my world," replied Jubilee, "But here I know it can because people here still dream!"

Jubilee charged towards the beast and threw the pendent before her. Upon catching the pendent, it glowed bright and transformed into a golden staff with a crescent moon top. A single golden sphere hovered next to the moon shape inside the space. Hanging on the side of the crescent was a single light brown ribbon. Jubilee jumped up high above the creature and smacked the staff down. The space between the crescent and the sphere glowed and a bright white light shot down from within it, slamming into the ground. The area around the creature began to turn up, heading towards it before the ground eventually collapsed beneath its feet. Once the dust had cleared, Jubilee stood before a large hole in the ground where the ground had collapsed. She panted heavily and sighed as Floral come out from inside her mirror and began to cheerfully throw flowers into the hole. Jubilee merely stared dully as Floral threw in the flowers as if to make a memorial for the fallen creature. Unfortunately, no one had fallen and Jubilee soon felt the warm breath of the creature behind her.

"_It is useless_," it said as it slammed Jubilee hard in the back with its tail.

Jubilee fell to the ground, the creature's claw stepping on top of her, preventing her from rising up again. Jubilee only stared up tearfully at the creature that looked back at her with emotionless red eyes.

"_There is no where else for you to go. The only place you will ever belong is Heylind…in your kingdom and world_," it said, "_No matter what, that fact will always remain_."

The creature pushed down on Jubilee's back and she winced in pain.

"_If you keep doing this, there will be more painful things done to you_," it warned, "_It won't ever stop_."

Jubilee took a deep breath and screamed, tears streaming down her face. If anything, the words hurt more then the claws that dug into her back. They were the truth, a truth that hurt like nothing else…a truth she could not escape not matter how far she ran. The creature then looked at the frightened Floral.

"_You_," it said, "_Once you go back into our world, you will be nothing more then a fading spirit…Image._"

Floral shivered in fear as she stepped backwards, almost slipping into the hole behind her. A small pebble then hit the creature in the head and it looked in Momo's direction.

"Hey!" she shouted, "You can stop now! We get it!"

The creature growled at her, revealing its razor-like teeth. Momo shivered and stepped back.

"Hey now…put those pearls away, "she said uneasily, "Meats not the way to go here."

Sakura and the others had been watching the whole time, unsure of what to do. They thought that Jubilee would defeat the creature the first time but were just as shocked to see it come back, perfectly intact without an once of exhaustion in its face. Sakura could take no more and she took out the star staff and released Thunder. Bolts of lightning came crashing down onto the creature, knocking him down and off of poor Jubilee who laid on the ground in shock. The creature, seeing the new threat before him, withdrew and swiftly left the scene as a mere shadow gliding along the ground. Jubilee stood up and watched as other shadows followed the one, all leaving in the same direction. She knew where it was they were going.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

Sakura, Tomoyo, Syaoran, Eriol walked towards her, worried about her condition. Although she was up and seemed fine, what the creature had been saying to her had concerned them.

"So, all of you aren't normal too," said Jubilee, "I thought so."

They were taken back by her words.

"How did you know?"

"I had a feeling when I came to your house. I could feel your magic since it's so different," explained Jubilee, "I guess this proves it, huh?"

Jubilee stared at the ground sadly as the flat object that carried Momo floated next to her. Momo jumped off from the object and landed on Jubilee's shoulder and began to pat her comfortingly.

"What was that thing you were fighting with?" asked Tomoyo.

"I'm not entirely sure really…," answered Jubilee softly, "But he seems to know me very well."

"And…are those floating things…," began Sakura, "are Images."

Jubilee's head shot up and looked at Sakura. The looked of pure shock that was on her face was proof enough that she was right…about everything. Sakura was overjoyed that the legendary world they had read about was real. She didn't know what to say. There was a slight pause before Sakura was about to speak but before she could, Jubilee turned around and began to leave.

"Wait! Where are you going?" she asked.

"I've over welcomed my stay here," Jubilee began, "Despite the fact that I promised to come here by a friend's request…I never said I'd stay."

Without turning back to face them, Jubilee quickly ran off before they could stop her again. Sakura called out to her again but she was already gone. Without hesitating, Sakura ran after her, the others trailing behind. They tried to hang onto her aura but it soon proved to be useless, the trail now untraceable and it seemed as if she had disappeared. They stopped short to catch their breath and looked around the area, hoping to see her once again. Suddenly, a feeling came to them and they assumed that it was Jubilee again. However, as it approached them, the feeling grew more and more different and in fear that it was the shadowy creature again, they hid. Upon looking out, they instead saw a young girl around their age. She had wavy white hair that went a bit passed her shoulders. From the ends towards the middle, her hair was a dark pink and the front was shorter. Her eyes were yellowish-green and she wore a very dark purple dress that went up to her knees. The collar and cuffs of the sleeves were white and she wore pink shoes and white socks. The girl's aura was different than Jubilee's and yet both were slightly familiar in some way, which they couldn't figure out. She looked around the area, a serious and determined look on her face.

"You can't hide from me, ," she whispered to herself, "This must end."

* * *

Mirror paced back and forth in the room. Time and time again she would look out the window with concern. She would then look at the door, anxious about someone coming in and checking up, especially Touya. She walked up to the window and stared out into the distance, worried about her mistress and the others. She didn't so much mistrust Jubilee or the floating objects. She was worried about them too, along with the other Sakura cards. As she stood in her wonder, the bedroom door opened and upon turning around she saw Touya standing in the doorway. Despite her efforts to stay clam, her concern showed through and Touya immediately picked up on it. Even though he no longer had his powers, he could still tell: Sakura was doing something dangerous again. He walked up to the window and stood beside the fake Sakura.

"So," he said after a few minutes in silence, "Something else is here."

He looked at Mirror and then smiled.

"We shouldn't stay here and keep worrying," he said.

Mirror stared at him only to then nod in agreement. They weren't ones to wait.

* * *

It had been a few minutes and the impatient girl became increasingly frustrated. Upon not finding what or who she was looking for, she turned around and headed for an old warehouse. She simply opened the large metal door with ease and walked inside. Upon watching the mysterious girl enter the warehouse, Sakura spotted Jubilee with Momo hiding from her outside the doors. She was crouched down behind a pile of metal scraps, waiting nervously for the girl's aura to be completely gone.

"That's right, pinky, go home," whispered Momo.

After a few more seconds, Jubilee stood up and looked inside the warehouse through the open door. She looked nervous and was startled to hear something come up behind her. She turned around swiftly to see Sakura, Syaoran, Tomoyo and Eriol behind her once again.

"Why are you following me?" she asked uncomfortably.

"We're worried," said Tomoyo.

"You shouldn't be. I don't have anything to do with you," defended Jubilee.

"But…we've never met anyone like you before," Sakura began, "We learned about your world at school. We never expected it all to be real."

Jubilee was surprised and stared at the happy faces before her. She knew what they were thinking and the thought saddened her. She looked down forlornly and mumbled something. It was hardly perceptible and they questioned what she had said. Despite their questions, she waved it away as nothing.

"I came here for safety, although I didn't want to. But, no matter where I go, I can't escape what horrible things are happening in my world. It will just keep following me until I return."

"Is that…why that creature attacked you?" asked Eriol with concern.

Jubilee shook her head yes. The creature's words were now starting to make some sense except for two things: why he had said the Images would fade away and why he had referred to their world as a "story."

"What's wrong with the Images?" asked Eriol, "He said they would fade. That their magic no longer works."

"In our world, when people stop believing in their dreams, the Images and all magic related to it would begin to weaken and fade," she explained, "Everything is in chaos now…and I don't know why…but people blame us."

Jubilee's eyes were full of tears as she fell to her knees, cupping her hands over her face. Sakura and Tomoyo kneeled beside her comfortingly as Momo stood on top of her head to help.

"What do you mean by us?" asked Sakura.

"Her and Neo," answered Momo, "He's the prince of the water kingdom, Cerulean. He and Jubilee are partners in catching the Images."

"He's the one who told me to come here through the tunnel," Jubilee said as she sobbed, "Everyone is after us, like that girl. She's from another kingdom and was sent to get me!"

Jubilee leaned against Sakura for comfort, the first act of trust she had shown to anyone since she had come to Tomoeda. Momo cursed something called the Committees under her breath, believing that to be the source of the girl from the other kingdom. When question, Jubilee explained that "the Committees" were a group of five people in each kingdom that had more power and honor then the royal families. Jubilee patted Momo gently as she denounced the possibility that the Committees were to blame. The arrival of the girl from the other kingdom was unknown but it was a small worry among many. Jubilee had used the word "chaos" giving the impression that many things both known and unknown were all going on at once. They doubted that anymore could be said then the small summery Jubilee had already given. The only other question Sakura asked was if they could help. Jubilee looked up at her confusedly.

"Why would you want to help us? What happens in our world won't effect yours in any way."

"That doesn't mean we shouldn't help," said Sakura.

Jubilee looked at the others and they nodded. At the sight of people who hardly knew her were so willing to help her, a sense of warmth filled Jubilee. Sakura and Tomoyo both helped her to her feet and she led them into the warehouse. She then stopped short and turned to them uneasily.

"Are you absolutely sure?" she asked.

They nodded in certainty and she took a deep breath and continued inside, everyone else following from behind. Upon entering the abandoned warehouse, they were amazed at the sight of gears of every size on the wall before them. The gears filled up the entire wall except for a single space. All the gears were above the space as well as to the right and left. The gears weren't moving but they weren't at all dusty as if they had been still for decades.

"It's strange," Tomoyo started, "I've never really seen anyone go in here and I swear I thought I'd hear noises coming from inside whenever I'd pass by."

"Those gears will start moving as soon as I return home," Jubilee said, "It's because I'm no longer in my world that they've stopped. The portal to my world is through that large gear on the wall."

They walked up to the largest gear that was imbedded in the wall, gazing upon the other gears that were all around.

"We're only a story to thema perfect story but nothing bad should happen in something perfect… Momo," she whispered to the hamster.

"Momo-chan," she softly reminded her.

Jubilee then signaled for them to follow her. She took a deep breath before walking through the wall as if it were liquid, Sakura, Kero, Tomoyo, Syaoran and Eriol following from behind. No sooner did they enter the portal did the large gears begin to turn. Looking in through the doorway stood Touya and Mirror, unaware of the danger that would soon befall them all.

From somewhere unseen stood the mysterious shadow creature. A look of interest flickered in his eyes as he watched, all other shadows now gone and through the other side. A small chuckle echoed from its mouth.

"_Good little puppet_."

S_omething false that is the dream_

_is not as lovely as it seems._

_Full of chaos, fear and dread,_

_a nightmare full of life from inside your head._

_All blame upon the saviors_

_with the lies they are fed. _

_Continuous until the puppets dead._

_To be continued…. _

* * *

Reprise: Sorry that took so long to finish. Been busy. I was gonna keep going but I think this is a good spot to stop the chapter, right? Anyway, hope you enjoyed and please R&R

Note: some things in this chapter were edited simply because I think it may be confusing and, since this story is done, I see that those few things were unnecessary. But it doesn't change the story one bit.


	4. Little Lolita

Reprise: Sorry if updates have been slow. I'm having trouble writing again XD. I'm so happy to see that I got a review! That's enough to make me start up again. Sorry about the delay…was upgrading our computer, which took some time (wasn't cooperating) and other things were going on. But, I'm gonna start trying again…

Anyway, enjoy.

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own CCS…

Claimer: I do own DC…oh yeah …

* * *

**Lies**

**Chapter 3:**

"**Little Lolita"**

_Shrouded in shadows_

_beats the young hearts._

_Unheard cries that soon become silent,_

_Help no longer needed_

_Help no longer wanted._

_Innocence now wasted upon the_

_turning gears of time._

_Empty is the heart._

_Empty is the mind._

_Replaying the deception._

_Poor little Lolita_

_just wants her mom and dad.._

There was a sense of nothingness in the air, peaceful and silent. Upon opening her eyes, Sakura saw before her the same place that she only knew in her dreams. It was that same mysterious place of unending snow, falling gently from above, chill less and tinted with a blue hue. The ground they stood on never seemed to get any deeper from the falling snow and there was nothing around at all. They followed Jubilee who nonchalantly walked through the snow.

"What is this place?" asked Kero.

"It's a place between dimensions. You just need to focus on the place you want to go and you'll end up there," explained Jubilee, "There's no way you'd get lost. Just keep walking until you reach the spot ahead that looks like a solid wall."

The empty place seemed endless and despite the fact that there wasn't anything to look at around them, they gazed at the falling snow from above. Even though they have seen snow before, it was enough to amaze them anyway. To Sakura, it was like being in her dream all over again. Yet to her, something about this place of tranquility gave her an unsettling chill, one that seemed too familiar. There was something that was missing here and then she suddenly remembered the young girl that she had encountered in her dream, her clothes stained with spots of blood and a serious look on her face. Then there were those clip-like horns that she seemed so sensitive about as well as the words she had yelled to Sakura just moments before she had awakened from her reverie: "Wake up already and find them." She wondered if the girl had meant to find Jubilee and the Images…and remembered the faded words that she could barely make out. Feeling that the girl was from Jubilee's world, Sakura wondered if she would know who the girl was if she told her about the dream. However, something else came up before she could ask.

"There's something I'm curious about," began Eriol, "Those ribbons that you were using to fight that creature…where do they come from?"

"That's an ability all members of royalty are able to do," said Momo.

"We can form them by using the power of our kingdom within us," explained Jubilee, "Guys form chains though instead. We're also limited in both how many we can form and their range."

"Amazing," Tomoyo said, "What else can you do?"

"We can form beams of light, though that differs from person to person, and fly…although adults don't fly as much. Usually that power weakens slightly," said Jubilee.

All but Sakura commented on the abilities of the royal families in the R-Area. Her silence didn't go unnoticed though as Syaoran looked over. His amber eyes had a slight glint of worry in them but upon asking if she was okay, she only nodded. Sakura paused before opening her mouth again, first only a small squeak escaped her lips. Jubilee looked over to her curiously as Sakura stammered, trying to find the words. She didn't want her question about the young girl elude her but everyone became distracted upon finally coming to the end. Sakura decided to wait.

Before them was what looked like an empty wall, which Jubilee simply walked through. Sakura, Syaoran, Tomoyo, and Eriol hesitating slightly before finally following; Kero continued to cling to Sakura's shoulder just as Momo was to Jubilee's. Upon walking though the blank wall there was a bright light that forced their eyes shut. As Sakura stepped through the portal, she failed to see the DREAM card flicker with light although she seemed to feel something. However, she mistook the feeling for something coming from Jubilee's world.

The sounds of turning gears echoed and they opened their eyes and found themselves in a place that was identical to the warehouse that they first entered in. It was just as big as well as abandoned. Heaps of twisted metal scraps lined the shadowy sides of the warehouse, left to rust away with age. Only a few florescent lights above were working, dimly flickering on and off as the rest were shattered and hanging by a mass of wires. The fact that the electricity was still working at all was strange but then again, the mysterious portal that went unknown by the public was also strange and could very well explain the warehouse's condition. Ahead of them, the large metal doors were closed shut with the exception of the right side, which was slightly opened. They carefully walked towards the door, watching their step to avoid any broken glass or nails that were strewn across the dusty floor. Upon reaching the door, all five of them had to push against it and force it open, the door obviously either broken or stuck by its rusty hinges. The door was heavy but they somehow managed and the moment they had stepped outside, their hearts sank with sorrow.

Instead of a lush and beautiful paradise, a gray and desolate place of misery was before them. In its silence, it cried out in distress, its buildings weathered and covered in a gray web-like substance. It was as if a mass of spiders came to claim the towers as their own, giving them their distinct marking. The grass was gray and dead and the trees were bare and dry, eerie in such a sad way. The streets were empty as well as all of the small shops, tables turned and chairs broken into pieces. Some windows were shattered while others were boarded up, words of warning spray painted on them in red and black. It seemed that there were struggles earlier, garbage and broken bats were scattered on the streets, small blotches of blood here and there. Everything was bleak, covered in darkness a sense of hopelessness in the thick air. All the pictures that had been in their books were now nothing, their beauty reduced to an unnatural gloom. It seemed unreal, impossible to them. It was one thing that the world existed at all but to have it now in ruins was another.

It was all just like…. a dream.

Jubilee trailed behind them, her head hung low in their shock. It was all hardly recognizable to even her and she had to remind herself of this ruined home's name.

"This is Heylind," said Jubilee softly, "We're near part of the downtown area. Pretty much on the edge of where it starts. The rest is behind us."

Sakura turned to her, eyes full of distress and horror, could no longer hold in her grief.

"What happened?" she had said with a shaky voice, "How could this have happened here?"

Jubilee didn't reply but only looked at Sakura with empty eyes. Unable to look her in the eyes Jubilee quickly shifted her gaze to the ground. After a few minutes of silence, Jubilee walked passed Sakura, leading them forward into her abyss. The others followed and Tomoyo comforted Sakura with calming words as they walked on. From beside her, Syaoran watched the forlorn Sakura, her saddened expression made him feel even more depressed. Every time her heart sank in such a way caused his to sink even deeper.

Passed the battered buildings that wallowed in their webbed haze, they came to a more suburban-like part of the kingdom. There were more small markets and cafes along with many Tudor houses with gardens that were now withered. Down a pathway that was lined with trees, they soon came to an old shrine. Outside of it there were dragon statues made of black marble, which were hardly chipped from the destruction. The shrine itself was in decent condition, unlike the rest of the houses. There were large stone steps that led to the shrine, made of thick sturdy wood that was painted with a fine deep brown color. The roof had dark gray tiles and was lined with green painted wood. There were oval windows in the front of the shrine, dark green shades hung from inside. Two sliding wooden doors were tightly locked from inside as well as the gate entrances to the garden in the back.

"This is the Dragon Shrine," said Jubilee, "The dragon is an honored being. It symbolizes strength."

"That's what we need right now," mumbled Momo.

Jubilee approached the shrine and upon setting one foot onto the first stone step, a powerful shock forcefully pushed her back. She winced in pain as the others came to her aid.

"Are you alright?!" Sakura asked.

"What happened?"

"It was a magic barrier," concluded Eriol.

"Yes," Jubilee said as she struggled to her feet, "The owners inside must've put it up. But, it should only be able to shock those that give off negative energy."

Jubilee took another look at the shrine. She tried calling out to the people inside but got no answer. It was no use in getting whoever was inside, if anyone at all, to answer and they decided to leave the forgotten shrine behind. As they left, eerie shadows swept across the steps of the shrine, following the unsuspecting ahead…

After a while of walking they came to a wide empty street. It was so unfamiliar to Jubilee that she couldn't tell which way to go next. They decided to stop there and rest. An unsettling feeling suddenly overcame them as if something was approaching. Jubilee shivered slightly and was sure of what was coming. She then distanced herself from the others, to ensure their safety.

"Jubilee, what's wrong?" asked Sakura with concern.

"Stay back, it's not safe!" she shouted back.

Sakura stopped and looked around. Nothing seemed out of place to her and was about to protest when she felt someone grab her hand. She turned to see Syaoran.

"She's right," he whispered with suspicion, "Something is off."

They were silent, keeping watch around them for whatever it was that was coming. The silence was then broken in a flash as a sudden pink light shot out, nearly hitting Jubilee. She quickly jumped back in time to avoid the hit and looked up to see that same girl from before looking down at her from atop a large pillar of rocks. Her yellowish-green eyes beamed down at Jubilee with determination and a hint of malice.

"It ends here now," she yelled, "There is no use in running away, princess."

Jubilee grimaced at the girl's words as she braced herself for a fight. She looked to the others in order to tell them to stay back but was stopped by their confused look.

"What?" she asked with uncertainty.

"You're a princess?" asked Kero.

"You didn't tell us that."

Jubilee froze and looked down at the ground.

"…Yeah…I thought maybe you'd realize it after I told you about the powers royals have," she said with a laugh.

The group below somehow hadn't made the connection since they had been so overcome by the sight of the desolate Heylind. But, now they caught the hints that were obviously there and felt embarrassed by the mistake.

"Enough talk!" shouted the girl as she jumped down from the rocks.

A white ribbon suddenly appeared from the girl and she whipped it at Jubilee with rage. Jubilee jumped into a back flip and dodged the girl's attack. Sakura, Syaoran and Eriol all ran towards her to help fight the girl but Jubilee quickly called to them to stay away. Momo suddenly appeared onto Tomoyo's shoulder and shouted to them in distress to stay back.

"You shouldn't try and fight her!" she cried, "She's the princess of the kingdom Carnatia. I doubt you'd be able to win against her and the abilities she has a Royal."

"…How'd you get on my shoulder?" asked Tomoyo.

"Hey, I'm everywhere man."

Jubilee jumped into the air, releasing a pair of ribbons of her own, lashing them out at the other princess. But, no matter how hard she tried, Jubilee couldn't bring herself to be very forceful. Unlike the girl, Jubilee didn't want to fight nor hurt her. The others watched from below, trying hard to stay back as Jubilee had wished them to do. Both Jubilee and the girl were flying, lashing out at each other with their ribbons. Jubilee only had six and she was unsure of how many her opponent had. Despite whatever number of ribbons the girl was able to form, she was using more force then Jubilee was and was coming close to a victory. Jubilee was slowing down. She had already fought the shadowy creature not too long ago and was still tired from that. Even though she was sure that Sakura and her friends were strong in magic, she didn't want to risk them getting hurt. She then made one wrong move and was brutally hit by two of the girl's ribbons. Sakura and the others watched as poor Jubilee slammed into the ground below. As they ran towards her, the dust had cleared and they saw that she was now lying still among the rocks. Jubilee's words of warning left them as Sakura, Syaoran and Eriol approached the girl, their staffs and sword in hand. Tomoyo and Momo stayed behind by Jubilee's side, trying their best to bring her back from her unconscious state. The girl floated down to the ground and began to walk towards Jubilee only to be stopped by the three new challengers.

"And you are?" she questioned.

"Sakura," answered Sakura in a serious tone, "and with me is Syaoran and Eriol. We won't let you get any closer to Jubilee."

The girl only looked away with a smirk on her face. She looked back at the three with confident eyes, her hands on her hips.

"I am Prima, princess of Carnatia," she said in an as-of-mater-of-fact tone, "Get out of my way. I was sent to get the princess and I intend to do just that."

"Why are you after her? Who sent you?"

Prima gave no answer. Her conceited smirk was still on her face as she raised her right hand, her palm turned upright. A pink beam of light formed in the palm of her hand and her smirk grew bigger.

"I said to get out of my way."

She shot the powerful beam of light at Sakura, who barely avoided being hit. She took out the JUMP card and released it. Both Syaoran and Eriol used a combination of elemental attacks on Prime who easily avoided it. She quickly released four of her ribbons and used them to hurl rocks at the two. Unfortunately for her, she failed to see Sakura coming towards her as she leaped high into the air, coming straight down at Prima. As she came down on Prima, Sakura released THUNDER, sending a powerful bolt of lightning towards Prima. Unfortunately, Prima was able to dodge the bolt and sent out her ribbons to hit and trip Sakura. At the sight of Sakura being knocked down, Syaoran released a powerful bolt of lightning of his own, nearly hitting the unsuspecting Prima as she neared the fallen Sakura. Sakura looked up to see Syaoran as he wasted no time in charging at Prima, slashing at her with his sword in anger. Both Syaoran and Prima were skilled in their martial arts, dodging each blow as they delivered. Despite his determination, he failed to defend himself as she swiftly ducked under the blade of his sword and kicked him in the stomach with her left leg. Syaoran fell backwards from the forceful kick but would not stay down. He quickly rose to his feet, surprising Prima, who had expected to find him unconscious or to weak from her strength to continue. Syaoran quickly lunged at Prima, managing to swiftly kick her down to the ground. Fueled by anger, Prima fiercely unleashed four of her ribbons at Syaoran and threw him, pinning him against a nearby rock. Her ribbons pushed into Syaoran's shoulders and tightened around his legs. A fifth ribbon shot out and curled at the end, acting as a fist that dug into Syaoran's stomach; a strong and painful blow. The four ribbons that pinned him withdrew as the fifth one smacked him in the face. Prima victoriously turned around and walked away, leaving him in his pain. But, in her high state of victory, Prima was unprepared to protect herself against the twisted mess of vines that began to grow from underneath her. The growth quickly rose up from the ground and tied Prima up, just as her own ribbons would against her enemies. She looked to see Sakura approach her, as the WOOD card gently floated back into her hand.

"Why won't you stop?!" Sakura asked her.

"Because I have a job to do," said Prima with a smirk, "I will not disappoint."

"Who sent you?"

Prima didn't answer clearly…in fact she hardly answered with words at all. A spiral of ribbons appeared and cut the thick vines easily. She hovered a few inches off the ground as she sent out two ribbons at Sakura, throwing her to the side. She looked up to see Prima walk passed her.

"The princess is wanted by Loli," she whispered under her breath as she made her way closer to the fallen Jubilee.

Sakura watched as Prima walked up and stood before Eriol, who only smiled at her nicely, his sun staff in hand. She looked at him curiously, puzzled by his kind smile. Prima held out her hand again and was about to form another beam of light when sounds of gasps sounded ahead. Tomoyo and Momo watched as Jubilee suddenly came to and rose to her feet without any trouble. She looked down at the ground and her long hair covered her face as she shuffled forward. She then stopped short and raised her head slightly, only one eye visible behind her curtain of hair. A flash of anger was visible in her eye and she said nothing as she suddenly unleashed four of her ribbons. They shot out at Prima who dodged them but was taken back as two more appeared and hit her hard in the chest. Jubilee lunged forward, no longer showing hesitation as she attempted to hit Prima again, who now showed some fear. Prima shot into the sky and turned, seeing Jubilee heading towards her. A single ribbon shot towards her, the end of it curled as if it was making a fist and punched Prima right in the stomach. Prima coughed beads of blood upon impact, bending forward as the ribbon dug into her stomach. As soon as the ribbon drew back, another one came shooting towards her, forcefully slamming into her and throwing her into the ground. Dust and debris flew into the air as Jubilee gently floated down to the ground. Once the dust had cleared, they saw nothing but a pile of rocks. Prima was nowhere in sight.

Sakura and Syaoran helped themselves to their feet and ran towards the crater, Eriol, Tomoyo, Momo and Kero already there looking. Upon hearing them exclaim that there was no sign of Prima, Jubilee put her hand on her head as she grimaced in pain. She then looked up and was unaware of the damage she had done and ran over to find Prima. They sifted through the rubble and still saw no sign of her. Jubilee had feared the worst, that she had accidentally killed Prima instead of merely hurting her. But, her fears quickly faded upon finding a small doll among the wreckage. She picked it up and upon closer inspection Jubilee discovered that the doll looked exactly like Prima.

"Was she just…a doll?" Jubilee whispered.

"I guess so," said Eriol, "I had suspected she was human but was unsure."

"I wonder who sent her," said Tomoyo, "Do you think there are other people who are after you that are just dolls too?"

"It may have been someone's attempt to distract you…make you think everyone has gone against you like you had mentioned earlier."

Jubilee stared at the wooden doll and a sad feeling overcame her. In her mind, she saw herself as a puppet; a puppet of her kingdom and of her world. Nothing but a little marionette. Her thoughts were broken as the doll began to wriggle out of her hand and floated away. From behind a heap of rocks, a long shadowy arm reached out and took the doll and a formless shadow swept up and away, carrying the doll with it. They quickly followed the shadow and upon looking over the pile of wreckage, they saw a whole line of shadowy figures that possessed no clear or distinct features. Each being carried some kind of item taken from a store or house, one in particular caught Jubilee's eye. One of the beings held a sterling silver whistle that hung from a small beaded chain.

"That's Neo's!" she said.

To find something of his was one thing but to find it in the hands of a mysterious being was another. It brought her much anxiety and Sakura and Tomoyo held her back in order to keep her from ambushing the shadows. They decided to follow the procession of shadowy beings to where ever it was that they were going. They hoped that it would lead them to the one responsible for Heylind's newfound misery. Not only did they now have a clue to where this being was, they also had a name to give: Loli. Night began to fall as the group followed the eerie silhouettes to who knows where.

* * *

The moon was high in the sky and the group, weak and weary, found refuge in a nearby cave. The long line of wondering phantoms was still visible in the darkness, seemingly restless and bored. Some seemed tired as well while others were curious and desired to go off course but were kept back by more loyal fellows. Jubilee watched the questionable sight with tired and dull eyes. Her thoughts were unhappy and her body ached in all places from all different things, not just from her fights. But, what seemed to ache the most was her worried heart, which dwelled on the thoughts of a dead prince somewhere out there in the darkness. She stared off into the distance, unaware that Sakura and the others were looking at her with concern. They hadn't known her for that long but they could understand her sorrow and wished to ease it somehow. Sakura rose to her feet and walked over to her and sat down beside her. At first, there was silence. Sakura was unsure on what to exactly say but then it struck her that it was the perfect opportunity to ask her about the young girl she had seen in her dream. It would not only help answer her curiosity but would keep Jubilee's tired mind off of her friend's condition.

"Don't worry," Sakura whispered, "I'm sure he's fine. We'll find him."

Jubilee smiled at her, aware of the comfort she was trying to bring.

"Thank you."

Jubilee looked down and was silent before turning back to Sakura with a smile.

"I'm sorry if I seemed so distant before…it's just hard for me to trust outsiders," she said.

"Ah, no it's okay!" Sakura said as she waved her hands in front of her, "I understand. You probably have your reasons."

Jubilee opened her mouth to speak but thought against it and became silent. She smiled at Sakura happily, glad that there were no hard feelings between them. Jubilee wasn't used to the kindness of outsiders but now rethought her view of them. It wasn't that she hated outsiders; she just had a hard time trusting them.

"There's…something I wanted to ask you," Sakura began, "In that place we were in…the one you said was between dimensions…"

Jubilee looked at her intriguingly. "Yeah?"

"I think I've been there before…in a dream. And I saw a girl there with dark brown hair and brown eyes. It looked like she had horns or something too…do you know who she is?"

Jubilee thought a moment but after a few minutes in thought, she replied no. The answer brought no closure for Sakura and she was left to continue to wonder.

"I've never seen anyone with horns before…not even a demon," said Jubilee, "I've never even heard of someone seeing a person that had horns."

It seemed as though the thought of a person with horns was new to this world and that no one, not even a demon, was ever seen with horns, at least not the same brown clip-like horns that Sakura had described. Sakura saw that her question had brought Jubilee discomfort and quickly tried to think of what to change the topic to. However, Jubilee beat her to it.

"Syaoran reminds me of Neo…" she said softly.

"He does?"

"They seem a bit alike in personality," Jubilee said with a smile, "I can tell…that he cares about you. What a good friend he is."

Jubilee smiled at Sakura, who blinked confusedly at her statement. There was much more meaning in her words then she had let Sakura to believe. Whether it was to mean a close and inseparable bond or something deeper, it could have been either one. It didn't matter for it seemed to Sakura that her words reflected Jubilee's own thoughts with her friendship with Neo. In her mind, they must be like two halves of one whole. Jubilee continued to stare blankly into the distance before joining the others who sat together in the back of the cave. Jubilee learned more about them and more about the cards and their magic. She trusted them more and now that she knew them better, she knew that not all "outsiders" were the same as the ones from her distant memories.

* * *

What little light that could shine through the thick clouds woke up the group. They looked out to see that the last of the phantoms were still in sight It seemed that it wasn't much farther to their destination, wherever that was, and they were well rested and prepared for anything. However, the phantoms were way ahead of them and it was quite possible that they would lose track of them if they didn't hurry. Jubilee lifted off of the ground and hovered a few inches from the ground, waiting for the others as they prepared to leave. Kero reverted into his lion form and Syaoran, Tomoyo and Eriol jumped onto his back. Sakura released FLY and a pair of white feathery wings sprouted from her back and lifted her off from the ground.

"Impressive," said Jubilee who simple hovered in the sky.

She smiled at them and the group took off into the air, following the traveling parade of shadows. In the distance, they saw what looked like a castle made of black crystals. It looked similar to an array of jagged rocks protruding from the ground. Large dome-shaped windows lined the top of the castle's towers and a large metal gate was seen in the front. It was already opened, letting in phantoms as the line was nearing the end.

"That must be it!" exclaimed Jubilee.

"We have to find a way to keep that gate from closing," said Eriol.

Sakura sorted through the cards she had, looking for the right one to use on the gate. She had considered using EARTHY to create a set of large rocks between the two doors to keep it from closing. However, this plan would draw attention to them, something they were trying to avoid. As she was trying to keep up with the others and sort through the cards, she accidentally dropped one. The wind swept it up and threw it towards Jubilee, who was able to catch it.

"What does this one do?" she asked as she showed it to Sakura.

It was the MIST card.

"That's the MIST card," said Sakura.

"It can rot away any material it comes in contact with," informed Syaoran.

"Perfect! You can rust the gate," said Jubilee, "That should make it weak enough to open, even if they close it."

Sakura raised her staff and released the MIST, who slyly slipped passed the phantoms and made its way to the large gate and slowly began to cause it to decay. They hovered nearby and watched as the last of the phantoms entered the mysterious fortress, the terribly rusted gate doors closing behind them. They waited a few minutes before approaching the castle, making sure that nothing else was around that could attack them. The gate was much larger up close then it was seen in the air and they somewhat doubted that making it rust was enough to weaken it.

"Wow…pretty big there, huh?" said Momo, "So…now what?"

"Should we use the WOOD card to pry open the doors?" suggested Tomoyo.

"I don't think WOOD would be strong enough," said Kero.

"Blow it up!" shouted Momo, "Just shoot little beams and BOOM…oh yeah, that'd be cool."

"No, that'll bring attention to us," said Jubilee.

"But…blowing up stuff is fun!"

"No."

"What about those ribbons of yours?" Syaoran asked Jubilee, "They seemed pretty strong when you were fighting. Would you be able to pry them open?"

"Oh those…"

"Yeah, ribbons and chains are really strong!" exclaimed Momo, "Do it! Do it! Do it! Do it! Do-"

"Okay! Just stop Momo!"

"…chan" she mumbled causing Jubilee to slightly twitch.

Jubilee approached the gate and released all six of her ribbons, which slid through the space between the two doors. On the other side of the doors, the ribbons bent to the right and left sides of the doors and began to push forward. At first, it seemed that the gate, although rusted, was still heavy and strong and didn't seem to budge an inch. Despite this, Jubilee determination would not subside as she began to feel traces of Neo's aura somewhere within the castle walls. Jubilee's feet dug into the ground as she pulled forward her ribbons, the doors finally beginning to move. The rusted metal of the doors hurt Jubilee's ribbons but she pressed on until they were open enough for each of them to slip through. From sheer exhaustion, Jubilee almost collapsed to the ground only to be caught half way by Sakura. After a few minutes, Sakura helped Jubilee onto her feet and they entered the unknown.

The inside of the castle was high and open, with a high ceiling, large windows, and a series of doors. The floor was black marble tile and the windows were stained glass, consisting of the colors of purple, blue and red, set up in section to form no particular picture. There were two large steel staircases with gold or brass railing. One spiraled upwards and led to a door that was covered in large chains and locks. The other was curved and led to a tall door that was half opened. They choose that staircase and with each step they took, Jubilee could feel Neo's presence getting stronger. Upon going through the already opened door, they saw a balcony that went around and looked down at the vast room below. The balcony was not lit and above it, the ceiling curved inward, shading the balcony even more. The ceiling of the entire room was made of tinted glass panes. The group snuck onto the balcony, crawling on their hands and knees to keep from being seen. They made their way all the way around to the other side of the room and away from the entrance that they came from. Upon peering down below, they saw a large mass of shadows that were similar to vines. It was rooted to the floor and stretched all the way up and was attached to one of three metal bars that went across the room, below the glass ceiling. Tied up within the mass of shadows was a boy with dark brown hair.

"Neo," whispered Jubilee.

He was trapped within the growth, seemingly unconscious, and being studied by two curious phantoms. One repeatedly tried to poke him but was smacked away by the other, protesting his inquisitiveness. The two began to smack each other, unaware that Neo was slightly moving, trying to find a space somewhere in the mass of vine-like shadows. He finally found one and released a chain, smacking both phantoms, which scared them. It seemed that to him, the beings were clumsier then anything else and he smiled as they tried to make sense of what happened. Jubilee rested her head against the railing and sighed. Apparently, it was in Neo's nature to be devious and, what some have called, a pain in the neck and Jubilee wouldn't expect anything less from him. Neo began to struggle, trying to break free from the shadows that he was entangled in, but with each sharp movement he made, it got tighter. A pair of large doors across the room opened and a small girl appeared, the phantoms following admiringly. The girl was young, probably around five or six. She wore a gothic lolita style dress, black with white lace trimming along the bottom of the dress, cuffs of the sleeves and collar. She had long black hair that went down to the middle of her back and a large gray bow was tied in the back. Her eyes appeared to be a dark blue but were empty and cold. She was pale and on the right side of her face there seemed to be a crack, as if she were made of glass. On her feet were black shoes and white laced socks…they didn't touch the ground but hovered above it.

"Hello," she said in a soft but cold voice.

"Are you the one who brought me here?" asked Neo.

"Yes. I had the phantoms bring you but they had to beat you. You were not cooperating," answered the girl.

Neo smirked as he felt the warm trickle of blood on the side of his face. He was starting to remember being ambushed by those formless beings and being beaten practically to death.

"So, are these your little friends?"

"No, I borrowed them from some place cold and dark," she replied, "But that place is not important. You are here and that is all that matters. Half of the job is done."

"What are you talking about?! Why am I here?!"

At first, there was no answer, not even a self-righteous smirk to give. She floated closer towards him and looked up, her cold, dead eyes staring at him.

"You are mine now."

She turned around and saw a couple of phantoms entering through the doors, dragging in with them a girl with blonde hair and emerald green eyes. Two light green ribbons were tied in the front parts of her hair and hung loosely to the side as she looked at the phantoms fearfully. Jubilee and Neo both looked in horror as the dropped the girl in front of the young child.

"Leslie," Jubilee whispered in an agonizing tone.

"You know her?" asked Tomoyo.

"Yes, she's our friend."

The girl, Leslie, looked up to see the young girl and she clutched her purple backpack tightly. The young girl pointed at it and the phantoms wasted no time in ripping the backpack away from Leslie and throwing her across the room like trash. Another mass of shadow sprouted from the ground and quickly entwined Leslie inside it, trapping her like they did Neo. The phantoms shook open the backpack and out from inside it fell a small winged small, similar to a cat. He had emerald green eyes and pale ivory fur with black on the tips of his feet, tail, and ears. A symbol of a crescent moon was on his forehead.

"Keyo!"

Jubilee flinched at the sight of the small creature, Keyo, living on the floor, weak and limp.

"Is he the one who guards the Images?" asked Eriol, "He has the same symbol on his back that's on the back of the Image gems."

"Yes, he is. He's the key to the Image box."

Jubilee looked down sadly as she watched the young girl pick up Keyo and held him close. Keyo tried to struggle but winced in pain and could only glare at the girl who held him.

"You will be my doll," she said.

She turned back to Neo who was still struggling in the shadows.

"What do you want? Who are you?"

"I am Loli," she said, "And I want you to be my temporary daddy."

The room was still and quiet except for Leslie who made a small cooing sound and Momo who was trying hard not to make a comment.

"What?"

"I want a mommy and daddy to help me in my mission and what better choices then the pair of Dreamcatchers."

Jubilee's eyes widened. It wasn't the people of the kingdom who were after them but this young girl.

"I want a mommy and daddy. That is why I want to find you and the princess. Where is she?"

Neo was quiet. He looked over to his right hand, which was tied up next him. Wrapped around it was a white hair ribbon…Jubilee's. In his mind, he still thought that she was somewhere safe but a sudden sensation came over him and he then felt Jubilee's familiar aura somewhere in the room. He had a feeling that she wouldn't stay away where it was safe.

"Look, you could have anyone as your parents."

"But I don't want just anyone. I want you both. Together you are powerful….enough to help aid me."

The emotionless sound of her voice was eerie and it was like talking to a ghost. The mass of shadows began to tighten and Neo cringed in pain. Loli neared him and grabbed his hand and a purple aura suddenly surrounded both her and Neo. Her eyes widened and became less cold and dead and Neo began to cough up blood. Once she released him from her grasp, Neo's head hung low and blood continued to trickle from his mouth. Fatigue flashed in his eyes and Loli seemed more alive then before but her eyes still flashed coldly.

"There is nothing wrong with this," she assured.

"What can I be?" asked Leslie as she flashed a smile.

"The aunt."

"Yay!"

Jubilee smacked her forehead. Though she knew that Leslie was only kidding and that she probably had some other reason for her cooperation, it still annoyed her. It also seemed to annoy Neo who, despite being drained of some energy, was giving her a look. Loli had taken some of his power, which gave her a more human personality but it didn't seem to shake the cold and feelings she gave off. Behind her, some of the phantoms began to look anxious, swaying from side to side restlessly. Loli looked at them and one gave her the whistle it had been carrying. They then continued to make sharp movements to show their worry, which Loli seemed to understand.

"Things are fine. We will be safe from them…"

She held up the whistle admiringly, still holding the limp Keyo in her other hand. Sakura, Syaoran, Tomoyo, Eriol, and Kero all looked at the whistle questioningly. Jubilee explained that the whistle was what Neo used to call the guardian of the past, Cristose, to their aid. Cristose was a large golden brown winged lion with a white face and ice blue eyes. If Loli knew this, then she probably wanted to trap Cristose as well, for whatever reason. But, instead of blowing the whistle right then and there, Loli gave it gave to one of the phantoms who took it somewhere else inside the castle. It seemed that she had other plans as she focused her attention on a large gear that projected an image of different places in Heylind. She was looking for someone and it wasn't just Jubilee. As the images on the screen flip around from place to place, something caught Loli's eye and the screen froze to a scene of an alleyway. In the alleyway were the bloody bodies of men, some with arms and legs hacked off as well as some that were decapitated. Broken and twisted guns were strewn around them and the walls of the alley were painted crimson red. The shadow of someone small was cast on the wall for a split second, leaving the bloody scene. Though it was unknown to everyone else as to who it was that had committed the horrible murders, it was obvious in Loli's eyes.

"I have to go now. But, I will come back soon, daddy," said Loli as she turned to leave, the phantoms clinging to her.

Though Neo was about to protest his new label as Loli's dad, she was already gone, the doors shutting behind her. There was no one else around now and it was less tension in the air.

"You can come out now," Neo whispered.

Upon hearing those words, Jubilee flew down, the others following with the FLOAT card. Jubilee wasted no time in trying to break apart the vines with her hands and ribbons, but to no avail. Neo only looked at her, a small smile on his face.

"You never listen," he said softly.

"Hey neither do you," she said.

Jubilee turned and saw Leslie tied up, her one free hand sticking out from the vines and waving at her. Jubilee assured the two that she'd break them free and continued to try and attack the mass with her ribbons. Despite her efforts, she could not use the same amount of strength she had used to open the heavy doors of the front gate and failed. She fell to her knees, panting. Sakura released the SWORD card and Syaoran took out his sword. They both raised their swords in the air and slashed the growth of shadows, breaking it into pieces. Neo began to fall to the floor and was caught halfway by Eriol as Sakura and Syaoran turned and did the same to set Leslie free. Eriol helped Neo to his feet and upon raising his head he saw Jubilee's worried face. They stood for only a few minutes before Jubilee slowly walked to him, wrapping her arms around his neck, a sigh of relief emitted from her lips.

"You're okay now," she whispered.

"Yeah."

There was silence as the two broke apart from their hug and they all then stared up at the bloody scene, still present on the screen. It was something completely new to their eyes. Never before had any of them, from either world, seen such a violent sight as the torn apart bodies of what were once men.

"What…what do you think could have done something like that?" asked Leslie.

"I don't know."

The silence was broken by the sounds of laughing and scratching that began to echo from behind the doors in which Loli had exited through. The ghostly sounds grew louder and what looked like purplish-black liquid began to seep through the cracks of the doors. They wasted no time in existing, breaking through the glass ceiling above and flying away; Syaoran, Tomoyo, Leslie, and Eriol on the back of Keroberos, Sakura with the FLY, and Neo and Jubilee with their own power. Jubilee looked down sadly, unable to rescue poor Keyo from the ghostly grasp of Loli.

Unknown to them, on another screen in another room, Loli watched with Keyo in her hands as they flew away. Her eyes did not change but stayed just as emotionless as they had been before. A phantom came to her side, making curious noises similar to mere echoes and murmurs. She had understood those unrecognizable sounds as a question as to why she wasn't upset about their escape. She did not face the phantom, her cold and unfeeling eyes stared at the monitors before her.

"It is okay. I can still see them. I can still find them," she said as her eyes fixated on one particular monitor, "Besides…."

The monitor showed a crumpled and dark street that was nearby the alley where the group of men were slaughtered. Still standing street lamps began to wobble and slowly curl inward as the windows of nearby buildings started to crack. It was as if the whole area was reacting to an approaching force and Loli stood there, awaiting the one responsible. She wanted that being…she wanted to catch them too. But, her reasons were not to be deemed a hero, nothing of the sort. There was something terrible that flickered in those dead eyes…those eyes that were as lifeless as a china doll's.

"I can…be better than that…" she said.

The phantoms began to swarm, practically merging together as they moved outward, seeping through the windows that lined the walls. Others crawled under the doors and swept into the next room. Like mere shadows, they simply crept up the walls towards the ceiling, seeping through the cracks that were made and flying through the hole in the glass. As they flew out into the kingdom, their eerie laughter echoed; laughter to represent Loli's own repressed mirth.

* * *

Through the sea of debris, the sounds of someone desperate stumbled about, falling on their hands and knees and quickly scurrying back to their feet. Yet in their apprehension, they tripped on a loose rock and fell hard to the rocky ground. Heavily panting as they looked at the ground, hands down in from of them, the person, a man, looked around fearfully. It seemed that something was following him, something that could not be harmed…something that he was told to always fear of. He appeared to be a scientist and wore a white lab coat that was tattered at the bottom, probably from all that had been attacking. He had light brown hair and wore round wire frame glasses. He didn't seem too strong and was rather scrawny, the stereotypical appearance for the label he bore.

"Please, whatever you are, please just leave me alone!" he pleaded, "I have a wife and a son…he's only three, please don't take me away from them!!"

As he raised his head up, something too quick to see swept by and cut his face slightly. Shocked, the man slowly turned around and it happened again, this time deeply slashing his left arm. He cringed in pain and fell to the ground, clutching his arm in pain. He felt something press against him and looked back in the direction he was hit to see the silhouette of a young child. Amber brown eyes, fierce and unsympathetic stared at him and he saw the sudden flash of something white whip at him. He took the fierce blow to the face and was thrown a few feet by the force.

"Please leave me be!" he screamed, his face against the ground.

He felt the sudden force of something slam against his back and he was forced against the dry earth once more. Sobs emitted from the man, who laid in his paranoia, waiting for his end. The sounds of footsteps approached him and he closed his eyes in trepidation. As the man coward in fear, he failed to see the young child stop short and pick up something that had fallen out from his pocket. It was a picture of the man with his wife and three year old son, a happy portrait of an inseparable family. The man felt the light touch of something gently fall onto his face and he opened his eyes to see the picture, the child gone. Apparently, there must have been some sympathy for the man…or at least his young son. The child did not go far though and watched the man stumble to his feet and run away from high on the rusted balcony of a nearby building. Those fierce amber eyes were now empty and lonely; their bangs hung in front of their face as they sadly hugged their knees to their chest. They then reached up and took off the light gray hat that they had been wearing, revealing what looked like two light brown clip-like horns. From far away, they would simply look like a pair of thick, smooth barrettes. But, upon closer inspection anyone would be able to see them for what they really were. The child's amber eyes then looked up to see a phantom suddenly appear in front of them. Their eyes did not fill with fear but instead, simply stared at it. The phantom's eerie smile suddenly disappeared as its head began to shake, becoming more violent before it suddenly burst. Streaks of shadows splattered everywhere, the rest falling to the ground below. The child stared down at where the mangled phantom had fallen. All went unnoticed by the other phantoms, which flew through the sky and crept on the ground. The child merely stared off into the distance, those brown eyes so fierce yet forlorn.

_None so lost in this world of melancholy. _

_All so trapped in cruelty's web. _

_Trapped in tainted desires. _

_Trapped in their worldly sorrows. _

_What has happened to childhood, _

_which seems so broken in its playful rhythm._

_To be continued…_

* * *

Reprise: Took me a while and it was hard. I just wasn't satisfied with what I wrote so I kept editing…which is one reason why it took so long. Hope you liked it and please R&R!


	5. Thoughtless

Reprise: New chapter! Yay…sigh okay, I've been thinking that maybe this story isn't that good because of the introduction…I'd love to know if that wasn't good because I can tweak it up. But, as for the story in general I don't think it's half bad. I think the last chapter was the longest I've ever written for a fanfic. Well, let's begin. Enjoy!

Please R&R…no flames cause to me, the worst kind of flame is not reviewing .. ….that way I can tell you didn't like it. And thank you to those who have said nice reviews!

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own CCS….but I do own a kero plushie….yay

Claimer: I do own DC…and it's coming along quite nicely too…

**

* * *

****Lies**

**Chapter 4:**

"**Thoughtless"**

_These memories stain_

_this forlorn mind._

_They were so careless…_

_They were so cruel..._

_Would it be so wrong_

_to find that person_

_and show them you're thoughtless too?_

All was drenched in nothing but black and white as a pair of fearful emerald eyes gazed on into the distance. They stood in a wide and open-spaced room with no furniture or other rooms just a staircase in front of them. At the top of the stairs was an open bedroom door, the inside of the room, however, wasn't in view. The dreamer looked forward and heard the painful screams of what sounded like a little girl coming from inside the room. The sonorous voice of a man followed, yelling constantly and harshly at the screamer. The dreamer stared fearfully at the staircase and hesitantly began to walk towards it. Upon nearing the bottom steps of the staircase, the shadow of a child was cast on the bedroom room above, screaming and trying to escape the grasps of an adult; whose shadow was also present. The shadows portrayed the adult viciously grabbing the young child, dragging them forward and grabbing them by the neck with one hand. Their free hand beat the child repeatedly, the child crying and pleading as the dreamer became fearful with each hit. The shadows then showed the adult throw the child out of sight and the two shadows disappeared, the bedroom door suddenly closing. But, the cries only worsened and suddenly a loud bang emitted from behind the door and all was silent…and the first sight of color leaked from underneath the door…crimson red. The dreamer's eyes widened and turned to run away, the scene disappearing until only one small thing remained. Before them was a small object, what appeared to be a doll lying on the ground. It's features were slightly similar….long black hair….blue or black dress lined with white lace….broken. The dreamer began to approach the item but as they did, a loud thumping sound echoed and they searched around them for a source. There was nothing but as they turned around, they saw that the object was gone and something now didn't feel right….they felt different. Upon looking down, they noticed that they were dressed in doll-like clothes. The dreamer flinched in discomfort as they heard someone breathing behind them. A cold and dreadful feeling overwhelmed them as they heard an empty voice speak from behind them.

"How does it feel?"

* * *

Sakura suddenly broke from her slumber and sat up in fear. Her dream was so real like the others had been before. All of her dreams have been full of dismay since she had entered the world of the R-Area and they seemed to worsen more and more. It was almost to the point where she was afraid to sleep. Sakura looked around to find that it was still dark out and she assumed that it was at least midnight. She tried to rest her head back down on her bag that she was using as a pillow but couldn't shake the dreadful feeling she had. Sitting up uncomfortably, Sakura looked over to see everyone else sleeping soundly. She decided that sleeping closer to one of them would give her the comfort she needed to return to her slumber but hopefully not the same dream. Looking over, she saw the closest one near her was Syaoran and smiled as she crawled over to his side. Not wanting to wake him up, she lightly snuggled up to him on his left side, laying her head onto his shoulder and curling up her knees towards her chest. Despite her efforts, her actions caused him to stir and as he slowly opened his eyes, his cheeks tinted a slight pink as he gazed down at Sakura resting her head on his shoulder; inches away from his face.

"S-Sakura…"

Sakura looked up and gave him a weak smile as she lifted her head from his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Syaoran," she said, "I had a nightmare and couldn't get back to sleep. Would it be okay if I stayed here by you?"

There was no way he could say no, it wouldn't be nice. If Sakura was afraid of something or in trouble, he wanted to be sure he could help in anyway. If this was how he could help her with this problem, he wouldn't hesitate in agreeing.

"Of course."

"Thank you!"

They resumed their original positions and sat in silence for a bit. Even though she was no longer afraid or alone, she still couldn't bring herself to sleep again. There were a lot of things on her mind now and no matter how hard she tried to relax, they wouldn't leave her.

"Syaoran…" she whispered without raising her head to look at him.

"Hmm?"

"My dreams…are trying to tell me something but…I can't figure it out," she began, "There's something very wrong in this world…and I don't think it's just because of Loli."

Syaoran perked his head up and looked down at her again in concern. After a few moments, she finally lifted her head up slightly to look up at him, her emerald eyes flashing much uneasiness.

"Is there anything you can think of that it could be?" he asked.

Sakura was uncertain but had the feeling that there was something that bothered her. She thought that possibly it was her strange dreams that were bothering her but she wasn't sure. In their silence, they failed to notice that they were staring at on another. Their faces were close and so all they saw were each other's eyes. Their cheeks became tinted with pink again and Syaoran's throat was dry and he couldn't say anything. They lay back down and closed their eyes, trying to fall back into sleep. The DREAM card glowed again but went unnoticed to the two.

However, from in the back of the cave a pair of amber eyes peered at the two, focusing on the glowing card. At first he had been watching Sakura and Syaoran but the card quickly caught his attention and intrigued him. There was something the card was trying to say; something about the card that was significant in their world. Neo watched as the card's light dimmed away and he left back into his spot in the cave.

* * *

Golden rays of sunlight shone through the cave, waking those who still slept peacefully inside. Sakura's eyes fluttered open and she awoke at Syaoran's side. He was still sleeping but seemed to be stirring and she smiled and nudged him slightly. He opened his eyes to the sight of Sakura sleepily smiling at him.

"Morning," she said softly, a light blush somewhat visible on her face.

"Morning," Syaoran replied with an equally pink tint on his cheeks.

They looked around and noticed that everyone was already up except for Neo and Jubilee who were still sleeping. They were terribly weak from all that they've been through and the two decided to let them sleep. Quietly, they got up and walked out from the part of the cave, making their way towards the entrance where everyone else was.

"Morning Sakura," greeted Tomoyo.

"Morning."

They were packing a few things in bags, extra clothes and fruit from nearby trees and bushes. They were preparing themselves, fully aware that they'd see Loli again and were determined to keep her away from their new friends of this world. If it was them who she wanted so badly, she wasn't going to get them very easily. They too were aware that both Neo and Jubilee were weak and tired and knew it was up to them to fight for them, especially since they were at a disadvantage and could no longer use their magic or the Images.

"Are they still sleeping?" asked Eriol with concern.

"Yeah…they look so deep in sleep, we didn't want to wake them up just yet," answered Sakura.

There was some slight shuffling and for a moment, she thought that they had woken up from their deep sleep. But, she didn't see anyone appear from in the cave and she decided that it was only her imagination at work.

"Sakura…" Tomoyo lightly whispered.

Sakura turned back around to see her friends looking at her in worry.

"What is it?"

They all looked at each other uneasily. There was something that they needed to share with her and it was not easy to explain.

"We were talking with Leslie and Momo-"

"chan"

They looked down to see the small beige and white hamster waving her paw in the air, reminding them of her name rule.

"Yes…Momo-chan…we were talking with them and we've found out something that might become a problem for us," began Eriol, "Now that we're here and that we've helped them get away from Loli, we're now involved. Nothing will protect us from them, they now see us as a threat too."

"But…but isn't that to be expected?" questioned Sakura.

"Sakura…"

Sakura turned to look at Leslie, her face full of worry. Syaoran was quiet…he knew what it was that they were trying to say and he looked down sadly.

"They know how to get to your world. If they see you as a threat, they'll go and mess up your world like they did ours," Leslie said forlornly, "And if that happens…you won't be able to stay here."

Sakura's eyes widened in shock. She had never considered that as a possibility but even so, she knew she wouldn't want to abandon them.

"No, we can't do that! We're here to help you!" she exclaimed.

"Sakura," Leslie said as she stood up and approached Sakura, "Listen to me. I know that those two already know and want that. They don't want the same thing to happen to your world. If it does happen, please respect their wish and help protect your world and leave us."

Sakura looked into Leslie's somber eyes, knowing full well that what she said was true.

She lowered her head and nodded in agreement and Leslie hugged her in gratitude. But, while in this caring embrace, Sakura suddenly got an idea and she broke the hug in excitement. Sakura had an idea on how to solve the problem of this worry.

"What if we sent the Images back to our world?!" she exclaimed happily, "That way, they'd get back their strength and at the same time could protect Tomoeda."

Leslie's eyes lit up at the sound of her idea and became ecstatic. She once again, hugged Sakura happily; only this time was a very strong hug that nearly knocked Sakura off her feet. As they pulled away, more shuffling emitted from in the back of the cave and Sakura turned again, expecting to see the two emerge. Instead another sound was heard from farther away, a loud and inhuman-like moan, which was so loud that they could feel it in the ground in the form of waves. Small loose rocks on the ground shook slightly from the loud, which sounded off again a few minutes after the first time. The sound was almost indescribable, a cross between some forbidding monster's cry and a low toned bell or horn. They all looked out the cave's entrance, searching for a possible source to the mysterious sound. Suddenly, both Neo and Jubilee ran out from the back of the cave to the front, fully awake and tense.

"What are you two doing up? We thought you were asleep!" said Leslie.

"We were…now we're not," Jubilee simply stated.

Without hesitating, they turned to the side of the cave and swiftly hopped onto the side and went upwards onto the top of the cave with ease. Their sudden actions made Sakura and Tomoyo both a bit anxious yet Leslie didn't seem to flinch a bit, hinting that actions like this were normal for them. Neo and Jubilee stared out into the distance, watching closing and listening for the sound again. At first, there was silence but the two kept their position, their eyes still fixed in the same direction. But, after at least fifteen minutes, the sound rang out again, and this time, the sounds of screams was audible in the background. A sudden shadow shot up from somewhere in the distance and then separated in mid-air. The shadow came down like a cloud of streamers and became stuck in the surrounding trees as well as what appeared to be…rooftops. Their hearts seemed to have skipped a beat at the possible sight of a collection of houses being attacked by what most likely were Loli's minions.

"We have to go there, now!" said Jubilee as she and Neo jumped back down to the entrance of the cave.

The others agreed and started heading out unaware to them that someone or something was watching them from close by…

* * *

The turning of gears echoed in the empty room, a young child watched intently at the screens inside them, reflecting the events that were taking place. They showed the blood shed, the sorrows and the pain of the people and yet no one in particular caught her eye. There was someone out there in the world, living and breathing just the same as they had been in the past…in the years that Loli remembered best. She and her immortal mind could and would never forget those years….those years when that person took everything. It was Loli's main desire to find them and to make them pay, not so much for her own sake…but for someone else's.

"Molly…" she whispered.

The morning light shined through the partially opened window, the see through white curtains blew gently in the breeze from outside. The bedroom was filled with stuffed animals and the walls were painted a peach color and it was obvious that it belonged to a young girl. There was laughter in the room as the girl set down her small porcelain teacup onto the small table in the middle of the floor.

"_How is the tea? Would you like some more Loli?" the young girl asked._

_There was silence._

"_Oh don't be so shy in your speech, Loli, you can say whatever you want to me."_

_Again, there was silence._

"_You talk so politely, Loli," the girl replied with a small laugh, "Loli…you are my best friend."_

_There was no reply but it didn't seem to be needed. The young girl leaned out of view, obviously hugging her friend quickly before sitting back in her place. Her green eyes were slightly sad though as they stared down at the tea set on the table._

"_You are…my only friend, Loli," she said quietly, "The only friend in this whole house…in this whole world…"_

_Although it seemed like silence was her only response perceptible to anyone else, the girl heard otherwise. Her eyes widened slightly in discomfort, as if the words that she heard were negative and spiteful._

"_Oh no! Don't say such things," she said in distress, "There's no need to get so angry…I don't want you to be angry because you make things all better afterwards. Even when…"_

_A loud knock came from the door and the young girl became apprehensive, quickly taking her friend with her to the other side of her bed. She kneeled down in fear and watched the door as the banging continued until it finally flew open. The girl's eyes began to fill with tears as her hold on her friend tightened…._

A tear streamed down Loli's cheek from her empty eyes. Her mind had been made up a while ago when she was found in some dark place…a place she would like to forget. The only part of it she had almost forgotten was where and what that place was and why it was so dark and cold. She was told things, things that intrigued her. They were things that would help enable her to honor her lost friend and to make things 'right.' Her founders helped give her mobility, something she had lost when her friend was no more. She was given back her sense of speech and all other senses that had been long gone. Her mind was only set on one thing after she was given back her senses and they even helped her in starting that. Shadows came forth from some dark place, even darker then where she had been for so many years. They slyly swept across the streets and floors of buildings, taking from people their most valuable belongings and soon after that their very minds. Though no one yet noticed it exactly; the people in Heylind were either never around or not themselves. Loli had indeed taken something of value from everyone and she wished to do even worse to the Dreamcatchers and those who had helped them escape from her. She had said that she wanted them as her parents who would give her exactly what she wanted: power and their company. For in Loli's mind, there was nothing more terrible then when someone is all alone…hurt by those, like parents, who are supposed to make things all better.

* * *

Most of the way they traveled by flight, but they landed nearby their destination as to not draw attention to themselves. They ran swiftly ahead, expecting to see a neighborhood in ruins but instead found something much more bizarre. The houses were covered in stretched out shadows, strewn all over the place and yet everyone in the neighborhood all of the people were simply wondering around in the streets. They walked slowly down the street, looking at the people whose faces were expressionless and were silent.

"Excuse me," said Jubilee, "Is everyone here alright?"

They looked at her and then at each other, confused about her question.

"We are fine, thanks to Loli," answered a person.

"What?"

"Loli is such a sweet little girl," said one woman.

"She is wonderful," said another.

Everyone looked at each other uneasily.

"I thought you said everyone was angry at you guy?" said Sakura.

"They were…but everyone changed all of a sudden," said Jubilee.

They stared at the mindless people as they spoke kindly about Loli, their words obviously not their own. Their eyes were glazed over and had a dull and indolent look to them. They then began to look around, searching for an answer. Perhaps it was because of the shadows that smothered their houses, possibly feeding them fake thoughts. As they tried to study the shadows, they had to avoid getting caught in it like a spider's web. But…there's was nothing truly wrong with the shadows….nothing evil emitted from them and it seemed as though they were simply there for no reason at all. However, as they walked around, searching for more answers, Syaoran looked down and noticed something unusual…no one had a shadow but them.

"This isn't right…where is everyone's shadow? Why are we the only ones that still have them?" asked Jubilee.

"Wait…." whispered Eriol as he looked back at the shadows that draped the buildings.

The people were all still near their houses, all being apart of this one neighborhood. He recalled seeing shadows scattered across buildings from when they first entered their world. The only difference that no one was in sight…they were either inside the buildings or underneath them. But, what he remembered best was when they first saw Jubilee fighting with the mysterious creature….he took hold of her shadow to drag her towards him. Possibly, Loli was either using a similar technique with the people's shadows or the same thing for a different reason.

"That creature that we first saw attack you…he grabbed a hold of your shadow," Eriol began, "Maybe Loli is doing the same thing."

"What makes you think that creature who attacked her isn't working with Loli?" asked Syaoran.

"Well, the phantoms that were working with Loli looked nothing like that other one so I have a feeling it is unrelated," Eriol explained, "But it also seems that people are attached to their shadows."

Eriol walked over to the shadowy goo that was draped over the houses and studied carefully. Upon taking a long stick from within a bunch of shadow-free bushes, he began to prod it. After a few times of being deeply poked, the goo suddenly grabbed hold of the stick, ripping it from Eriol's hands and sucking it inside itself. A human face suddenly appeared with the shadows, moaning in misery. The other stepped back, except for Eriol who looked at it closely. He then turned around and searched with his eyes until they fell upon a single person…who had the same face as the one in the shadows.

"Just as I suspected," he said, "This face inside the shadows has the same face as that person over there.

"How could that be?" whispered Sakura.

More faces appeared within the shadows as well as long stretched out arms that extended towards them. It was as if they were reaching out for help either that or to pull them in with them in spite.

"It's their shadows. They must've been taken from them and are in fact the shadows that are covering this neighborhood."

"That would explain why no one has a shadow," said Jubilee.

"They were all taken to created this big net," added Syaoran, "If what you said about being attached to your shadow is true…then that must be why no one has left this place."

"But…why are they acting so…mindless," asked Tomoyo, "It's not like their shadows are their mind too…how would that work?"

"That still continues to elude me," said Eriol in defeat, "But at least we know why no one has left this place. Perhaps Loli has done something else to them, mind wise."

"To make them like her…" Jubilee said softly.

"Hmm?" asked Neo, "What was that?"

Jubilee looked to the ground. Despite the fact that Loli seemed emotionless, Jubilee could feel the emotions of misery and suffering from her. Even though she was trying to catch them for whatever it was she wanted them for, Jubilee couldn't help but feel bad for her. She shook her head no and hid what she had said, feeling that for right now, it wasn't important. Something else was right now. They began to leave and the people watched curiously with suspicion. Even though they didn't seem to have much of a free mind, these people did have one that was completely loyal to Loli. Their faces became grim as they started to walk towards the group. They suddenly surrounded them, blocking their way out of the neighborhood on all sides. The collection of faces and arms inside the shadows began to pull itself forward as the people of the neighborhood started to gang up on the young travelers.

"Something wrong?" Tomoyo asked them in a calm voice.

"You are not nice children," said one man.

"You did not say anything nice about Loli," added another, "You must all be against her."

It became apparent to them that all of the people spoke like Loli, in that emotionless way where none of their words were combined. Upon backing away from the angry mod of neighbors, Sakura felt something grab onto her arm and pull her backwards. She turned around to see one of the shadowy arms pulling on her persistently and she let out a scream. Syaoran wasted no time in chopping off the arm and freeing Sakura and helped her to her feet. Neo and Jubilee released their ribbons and chains to separate the mod of people and push them out of their way. They swiftly escaped from the neighborhood, leaving the angry people behind. It went unknown to them that shadows appeared from inside the houses and began leaking out the doors and windows…

Once they were in safe distance from the neighborhood, they stopped to catch their breath. Jubilee raised her head wearily and looked at Sakura and gave her a smile. Sakura only looked at her curiously.

"We like your idea, Sakura," she said with a pant.

"Hoe?"

"About the Images…to protect your world we'll send them there," she said.

"You heard that?" asked Tomoyo.

"Yes…we were awake when you suggested it," answered Neo, "We only came out afterwards because of that noise."

It was agreed then that they would go to the place where they had hidden the rest of the Images. Knowing that Loli was looking tirelessly for them, there was no time to waste. There was nothing they could do for the lost people of the neighborhood but to find a way to defeat Loli. From a far distance the liquid-like darkness silently followed them.

* * *

Down deep inside an underground chamber, a young lady, about the age of a 15 or 16 years old in appearance, walked quietly down the stone stairway. She wore a navy blue dress that went down to her mid-thighs. The dress was collared and over it, she wore a small shirt that was the same color. The shirt only went up to her ribs and was buttoned down with gold buttons. The cuffs of her sleeves were white lined with purple. The bottom of the dress was lined with purple and white and she wore blue boots with gold latches across them. Four gold buttons were along the right side of the dress. Her hair was a purplish-black color and was tied up in a high ponytail with a big blue bow, a few strands of hair hung in the front. Her eyes were a deep pink and they looked around nervously as she continued down the solid stone stairs. As she progressed down, she saw stone columns and various vines, mosses and flowers growing on and around them. It was only until she got all the way down that she came to a small circular room. On the walls of the room were the Image mirrors, stuck on the walls with vines, going all the way up to the high ceiling above, which had a beautiful mural painted on it. The young girl walked to the center of the room, gazing at the sleeping Images that stayed weakly inside. She looked over to one side and saw a stone table where the wooden box that originally contained the Images was, also covered in vines. She walked over to it and untangled box from the mass of vines that held it down and then returned to the center of the room.

The girl opened the box, revealing the inside to have a small round mirror in the middle with two spaces on the sides of it where the Images in their gem form would be stacked. The mirror was not for them but for their guardian, Keyoso or Keyo for short. When the Images were first inside the box, Keyo resided inside the mirror, his true form being nothing more then pure white energy. The girl closed her eyes and a blue aura began to glow around her. She tiled her head up as the vines that held down the Images' mirrors to the walls began to move and released the mirrors from their grasp. Weakly, the Images pulled in their mirrors inside the flat heavy gems and floated down to the box, neatly stacking themselves into piles of two. With that, she closed the box lid and proceeded to leave just as quietly as she had entered. However, she would not leave without being found out. As she walked towards the stone steps, she found herself face to face with a young girl with very dark brown hair and amber brown eyes. She wore a gray hat on her head, a teal hooded jumper with black tights underneath and brown boots. Unlike many others in the world….she knew who this girl was. She kneeled down before the girl and held out the box to her.

"Would you do me a favor and take this with you to another world?" she asked, "I know their owners are coming with the intention of doing it anyway so I thought I'd help them out a bit."

The young girl said nothing with surprise glinting in her eyes as she stared at her. She was hesitant to take the box from her, knowing full well about what was inside.

"It's okay, no one will know," she assured her as she softened her voice into a mere whisper, "No one will know who you really are."

The girl's eyes widened slightly as she stared at the box and after a few minutes of hesitation, took it from her. A moaning sound suddenly emitted from the other side of the room. There was another entrance that led to how knows where and from there the sounds became louder and louder and more forbidding. The girl in blue signaled for the younger girl to leave and she watched as she quickly ran up the winding steps of stone. The girl remained in the center of the room, awaiting whatever it was that was approaching. She no longer intended on leaving and stayed in order to stall whatever it was from finding the young girl who now held the Images box. Even so….she knew with all her heart that the girl would be fine on her own…even if they did find her.

A shadow-like liquid began to leak into the room from inside the other entrance and she watched as a mass of shadows made its way in. The girl braced herself, taking a few steps back as she continued to watch the mass grow in size and shape. Suddenly without warning, a part of the mass broke away, sweeping across the room in the form of a sharp streak. Just as she turned to look at it, the streak lunged at her and struck her in the stomach, piercing completely through her. Blood splattered on the walls and floor as the blade-like streak withdrew from inside the girl. As it was quickly pulled out from inside her, more blood poured out from her wound like a small fountain and she fell to the floor, violently coughing up blood. She leaned against the wall in a puddle of her blood, shaking slightly from the pain and shock of the attack. The mass of shadows swept across the room and exited through the other entry, quickly gliding up the stairway in search of the girl. Though she had been badly wounded, she was not dead…and she smiled weakly as she slowly closed her eyes. Everything was silent except for the sound of something crinkling or moving. It was an almost eerie noise that emitted from the large wound in her stomach…the wound that seemed to slowly change in appearance….

The girl ran quickly up the winding staircase, tightly clutching the box to her chest possessively. A loud screech echoed from behind her and upon looking back she saw the ugly mass of twisted darkness following her. Arms extended from within the growth and shot towards her in a desperate attempt to catch and drag her towards it. Despite its efforts, she was too fast for them and each time they seemed to catch up to her….they were ripped apart like tissue paper. Every one of the reaching arms behind her exploded in her fierce glare and after a number of times, the dark mass disappeared. When she finally reached the top of the staircase, she saw a bunch of phantoms wondering around. They caught sight of her and began to cower away and upon seeing this behavior, she took advantage of it. There was no fear in her eyes as she walked towards them, watching them as they cowered away and soon decided to completely flee from her presence. Ahead there was the entrance to the surface and the phantoms flooded out in worry, the girl calmly followed from behind…

* * *

It was night now, a grayish-blue sky hung above forlornly as the group neared the cavern entrance where the Images were. They were lucky that the neighborhood they were coming from was not far from the Images' location. Everyone was tired from traveling and was slightly nervous due to the fact that anything could appear from within the shadows. They came to a large hill that had mounds of rocks and rubble, the cavern entrance on the other side of it. A rustling sound emitted from over the hill and upon reaching the top, they peered down to see a gang of phantoms quickly sweep by, seemingly running from something.

"They look afraid…" said Leslie.

"What would they be afraid of though?" asked Syaoran.

The young girl spotted the group and as her eyes fell upon Neo and Jubilee she became apprehensive and quickly hid behind a pile of rubble. Peering from behind the large rocks, she watched them as they quickly made their way to the entrance and down it's set of stone stairs. Her eyes watched them longingly until they were out of sight. She then ran off, Images in hand, heading to the old warehouse to send the Images to the other world…

"How far down is this place?" Sakura asked with a pant, "It seems to just keep going."

"Don't worry, we're almost there."

As they finally came to the last few steps and gazed into the wide circular room, their eyes immediately set on the bloody sight of the young girl, seemingly dead against the wall. Their eyes widened and Jubilee shot out ahead of the rest, running to the girl's side.

"Rue!" she shouted as she kneeled beside her.

"You know her?" asked Tomoyo in a slightly panicked voice.

"Yes, she's a spirit guardian. Her name is Rue," said Leslie.

At the sound of the word 'spirit', Sakura became tensed and began to shake in fear. She suddenly clung to Syaoran's arm and wailed.

"If she was already a spirit, then how can she be dead now?" asked Kero.

With that, the girl, Rue, began to move slightly, shifting her weight from the left to the right and raising her head up. The large gaping wound in her stomach was now completely gone, it had been healing since she was first struck. Rue coughed as she panted heavily from shock. Everyone let out a sigh of relief at the sight of her well and alive, except for Sakura who was still slightly scared of her.

"Sakura, what's wrong?" asked Leslie.

"She's afraid of ghosts and stuff like that," whispered Tomoyo.

Leslie let out a small chuckle as she leaned towards Sakura and smiled.

"You shouldn't be afraid," she said sweetly, "Rue is a spirit guardian…they're like the grim reapers of our world."

"W-What?"

"They help those who die to the afterlife. They're not scary looking or anything like that. People just picture grim reapers as those scary guys in black cloaks because death itself is scary. They're really nice."

Sakura stopped shivering and looked over to Rue who looked like a normal girl and she relaxed. Leslie kept her smile as she watched Sakura release Syaoran's arm. Rue was fine now but there was something that they had overlooked and Neo, finally realizing it, let out a gasp as he looked around at the walls frantically.

"Wait, the Images are gone!" he said as he ran over to the stone table, "And so is the box!"

Leslie clasped her hands over her mouth as she gazed up high at the walls around them. Jubilee looked around worriedly, now noticing what she hadn't before as Neo continued to search under stones and piles of rubble. Rue rubbed her head and muttered something inaudible and yawned as if she had woken up from some pleasant nap.

"Don't worry about it," she said with a yawn, "I already took care of it."

Everyone looked at her with surprise as she stretched her back and arms, rising to her feet in the process.

"What? Why?" asked Jubilee curiously.

"I knew you were all coming to get them so I took care of it…although I got an unwanted guest in the process…" she said with a scowl.

"How could you have done that if you got stabbed while doing it?" asked Syaoran with some doubt in his voice.

It was silent as Rue realized what she had said and covered her mouth quickly. She let out a small and uneasy chuckle as everyone stared at her questionably. A sense of panic came over her and she stuttered as she tried to come up with an explanation. But alas, she came to a sad realization…she was a terrible liar. With a sigh of defeat, Rue looked at Jubilee who awaited her answer…she knew she couldn't be _completely_ clear with her…so she decided to be vague yet still as honest as she could get.

"Well…I had someone help me out," she said cheerfully, "Yes! Someone you don't know helped me by taking the Images to your world while I fought with some…weird thing."

"Someone helped you?" asked Jubilee.

"Yes."

"They took the Images to our world?" asked Sakura.

"Box and all."

There was a pause and Rue was confident in herself. She had successfully answered their question while still keeping the identity of the person a secret.

"Who?" asked Jubilee.

Rue choked a bit as she looked at Jubilee.

"No one you know," she said as she leaned forward.

"But, can't you-"

"Nope! It's all done. Not important!" she exclaimed as she turned to the stone staircase, "Time to go…yyyup!"

They shrugged and decided to let it go and started to follow Rue. But, before they could leave with her, a strong shadow blocked the exit, creating a large wall or door. Rue looked over in shock behind her to see the new door and ran to it, banging her fists against it in terror. On the other side, they all did the same and saw that the other exit across the room was also blocked off. A flood of black liquid suddenly rushed into the room from within the shadowy door. It swept them off their feet and threw them all against the walls forcefully as it continued to rapidly flood the room. The liquid was sticky and thick, dragging them down and holding them into place. They felt themselves rising upward as the room continued to fill with the dark fluid and there was no way to escape it. Sakura couldn't reach her pendent or any of her cards and Syaoran couldn't reach his sword. Neither Jubilee nor Neo could fly away and were trapped in the goo. From the other side of the door, Rue could hear their cries for help and despite all her efforts, she couldn't pass through the barrier. From within the pool of darkness, shadowy streaks shot out and attached to the ceiling above, creating what appeared to be a web. Each time it seemed that one of them broke free, they'd get caught again within this spider's spectral web. Though they could not see underneath them, they could feel what seemed like hands grabbing onto their feet and legs, trying hard to pull them under. They kicked and tried desperately to fight off whatever it was that was going after them but it was useless. Fatigue began to take over and they could feel themselves drifting away as the shadows began to pull them down. Sakura tried hard to keep her head above the surface and to stay awake but she couldn't help but feel sleepy. The last thing she saw was Syaoran who was reaching out to her, desperately trying to swim towards her in order to help her… but he too was slipping away. Her eyes filled with worry as they began to close…

"Syaoran…"

* * *

Her eyes full of emptiness widened at the sight of a young girl approaching the old abandoned warehouse. Loli watched intently as the young girl with dark brown hair and amber eyes entered through the large metal doors, carrying the box tightly. Behind Loli, a gang of phantoms cowered away, looking at one another in both confusion and fear. It was only until Loli snapped at them harshly to come to her side that they set aside their fear of the unknown girl.

"There she is," said Loli in her hollow voice, "I know some of you have already found her a few times before. You let her either tear you apart or ran away from her presence. You will not do that ever again."

The phantoms in their shame hung their heads low as she scolded them for their cowardliness. She then turned to them on her rotating chair and pointed to the screen that reflected the young girl as she entered through the portal.

"She is going to that other world to release the Images. Go and follow her and bring her back here," ordered Loli, "I will be waiting here. The others will be coming back here soon…"

Another gear was lowered down and a screen within its center turned on. Reflected within it was the flooded room where everyone was trapped inside, slowly losing consciousness. Loli then noticed Rue who relentlessly pounded against the barrier in agony and Loli, feeling that she had done enough, raised her hand at the screen. Her hand began to glow purple and Rue suddenly felt as if she was being held in place. Shadowy streaks suddenly appeared from below her feet and shot up, spinning around her. They were sharp like blades and Rue screamed in pain as they each torn at her body, ripping her dress and scarring her from head to toe. The pain was unbearable as the razor-like streaks pummeled her from every side. It slashed a large thin gash across her back, another smaller yet deeper wound across her sides and various little thin marks all over her legs and arms. Each injury was bloody and the torture seemed to last forever. She felt the cold sting as a blade slashed her cheek. The blades suddenly turned into shadowy fists that punched her brutally in the stomach and face. She was thrown into the walls on every side and was unable to counter in anyway. Each attack came suddenly and violently and it was only until she was slammed into the ground by three or four fists that it all stopped. Rue laid unconscious on the ground and Loli lowered her hand in satisfaction. She then looked over to the phantoms who now knew what she was capable of. They let out eerie laughs and left to pursue the girl who Loli so desperately wanted. Despite that fact…the girl was not the only one who Loli was searching for. There was someone else who she wanted to find even more…

* * *

Through the snowy space of peace and silence, the young girl ran without stopping. But, her eagerness to get to the other world got the best of her as she finally lost her footing and tripped. She fell to the ground and looked up to see that she was now on the other side, in the other world's version of the old warehouse. When she tripped, she tripped forward and through the other portal. She slowly got up and clutched the box securely as she walked towards the exit hesitantly and peered out the small opening between the large doors. The Image box began to glow and she lowered the box from against her chest, revealing the decorated wooden top of the box. It had a strange puzzle on it that required a person to slid the squares around in order to unscramble the picture. It was the magical seal that would unlock the box…that is if the person not only has the right magic. The puzzle glowed and the pieces began to slide around to solving itself, and upon quickly finishing, the lid immediately opened itself. The Images inside flew out from within and floated around, glowing in health and strength. The girl watched them as they were preoccupied and took the opportunity to sneak away. The Images though, noticed their rescuer and floated down and quickly surrounded her. They blinked at each other as they curiously studied the girl who was against it.

"Don't! Stop that," she said.

Despite her protest, they continued. They were far too interested in the strange girl.

"You're here to protect this world," she said, "So stop and go do that."

It was only until they heard footsteps approaching that they stopped their playfulness and swiftly scattered and disappeared. The girl was left bewildered and was unsure what to do now. Looking inside, she saw a collection of shadows slide in through the portal and she let out a small gasp. Not wanting to be found, she quickly ran away, leaving the shadows to silently search for her. From nearby, Touya and the Mirror card, who still retained Sakura's form, noticed the young girl running away. It was where she was running away from that intrigued them more then the fact that someone her age was out this late. They looked at each other and Mirror's eyes reflected uncertainty.

"Something is here again."

Sakura's eyes fluttered open and she found herself tied shadow by shadowy vines. The sleepiness disappeared from her eyes as they widened and she began to struggle. However, she wasn't strong enough to break free and even if she did, there was another problem. Not only was she tied down by the vines but she was also inside a glass container, much like a display case. She looked around and found everyone else also tied up and behind glass…all except for Neo and Jubilee.

"Sakura!" she turned her head to her left and saw Kero inside a small glass display case with the small creature who was earlier identified as Keyo. The small case was on top of a pedestal. Neither of them was tied up and Kero was standing up, his paws pressed against the glass as he stared desperately at Sakura. Keyo on the other hand was lying weakly beside him, unable to even sit up.

"Kero, try and break free! Turn into your real form!" Sakura cried.

"I can't! There's some kind of barrier over this!"

On the other side of her, Sakura could hear the others as they tried to break free but none of them had any luck either. The doors across the room suddenly opened and nothing was visible inside but darkness. Loli then appeared and stood in the doorway and the silhouettes of two figures were standing behind her.

"Hello again," said Loli, "I am glad I found you again. Any later and things might have dragged on. We would not want that, would we?"

Loli started to walk towards them but the two figures behind her remained in their place. The sounds of her footsteps were no audible, unlike before when she merely floated inches above the ground like a ghost. She made her way towards Sakura and her eyes, which were usually emotionless, now reflected hints of sorrow.

"I wanted to see you again," she said to Sakura.

Sakura gazed at her in confusion as she noticed the pain in Loli's eyes. Loli neared her and set her hands onto the glass. A single tear made its way down Loli's face as she stared at Sakura, much to her and the other's surprise.

"What is your name?" asked Loli.

"S-Sakura."

Loli's face grew slightly grim and she turned and walked away from her painfully. She looked to the others who were unsure of what to make of the scene. Kero watched Loli curiously and suddenly heard a slight whimper. He looked over to see Keyo slightly moving, as if he was trying to sit up. His green eyes looked at Kero weakly as he mumbled something again and this time Kero went down to his side. He whispered into Kero's ear and his expression became shocked. He tried to get Sakura's attention in order to tell her…to tell anyone but was silenced at the sound of Loli's voice.

"Everything will be okay now," she said.

Kero knocked against the glass and Sakura turned and looked at him. The case began to glow and the glass became slightly tinted as Kero's voice became more and more muffled. It was the magic within the case that was trying so hard to silence Kero. Despite that, he still tried to yell out to her.

"Sakura!! Sakura!!, "he exclaimed as his voice started to fade, "LOLI IS…..!"

His message was cut off suddenly as the magic in the case silenced him completely. Realizing this he continued to pound on the glass with his little paws, repeating his message. He hoped that Sakura or someone would be able to read his lips…

"NO!" Leslie cried suddenly.

Sakura turned back to see Neo and Jubilee walk from within the doorway and now standing behind Loli. Their eyes were dull and their faces were expressionless. Loli stood between them, her eyes now glinting with determination and apathy.

"Everything will be okay now…" she repeated, "I have…what I need."

_I hate that which takes_

_everything away. _

_I hate that which lies_

_to me relentlessly._

_I hate that which_

_left me in the cold so long ago._

_But I have that which_

_will make me stronger._

_And everything will be okay…_

_To be continued…_

* * *

Reprise: wow…wow…this is pretty long. How does this keep happening? Oo'''

Well, I hope you liked it, please R&R. More info on DC, please go to my forum_, Dreams of the Night_ (link located in my profile). Thank you!


	6. Psychosis

Reprise: Hey there . I've been doing well with my writing, haven't I? And updating too…I should start updating my TRC fic some time… XD

Now, I'll tell you right now…I intend for this chapter to be the starting point in the violence. From here, the story will take a violent turn…you've been warned! Oh and sorry, it's long again lol.

Note: It is official: Loli will be used in a future story of mine as the villain. I hope to start on it soon (after one of the other ones I'm working on is done but that gives me time to plan it out in every way possible lol). She'll have a different look, much more how should I say it…creepier and her powers will go beyond the ones she acquires here in this story.

Please R&R…pleeeeease

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own CCS…and I'm not the only one! -_points to everyone else-_

Claimer: I do own DC….I like saying that…

* * *

**Lies**

**Chapter 5:**

"**Psychosis"**

Yesterday has come and gone.

_Yet still there's no place_

_where you belong._

_But for the world_

_you have no need._

_Alive just to make_

_all others bleed._

_So it seems…_

_Close your eyes to _

_the lying lullabies._

_Shut out all those_

_who you despise._

_So it seems, so it seems…_

It was all a dream…all some horrible nightmare playing before their eyes. Sakura begged for everything to be just a terrible nightmare like all the others she had before. Why couldn't it be a dark premonition that she could stop from actually happening? Alas, it was all real and her restraints held her in place, making sure that she couldn't interfere in Loli's plans. Despite the fact that it was a fruitless struggle, she continued to flail around within the vines as she watched helplessly as Loli approached Neo and Jubilee. Loli raised her right hand and it began to glow purple, bringing forth a collection of small gems to surround Neo and Jubilee. At least three or four gems surrounded them at the chest and waist, two gems surrounding their heads (one on each side), and a single gem pressed against their foreheads. On both Neo and Jubilee's foreheads, a pair of two different symbols appeared: a green symbol on Jubilee's forehead and a blue symbol on Neo's forehead. Jubilee's symbol had three diamond-like shapes, a big one in the center and two smaller ones on each side. Neo's symbol had a large diamond-like shape in the center, two small semi-circular diamond shapes on each side of the center shape, and curved designs at the bottom. Both symbols glowed brightly as the gems pressed against them and suddenly all of the gems began to glow white. A sudden serge of electricity sparked and began to shock them as the gems began to fill with green and blue energy…the powers of both their kingdoms, Heylind and Cerulean.

Leslie screamed for Loli to stop but she was ignored as the torture continued. From below their feet, shadowy arms appeared and grabbed a hold of both Neo and Jubilee's arms and legs, holding them down and still. This enabled them to get even more power from them.

"Stop it!!" Leslie screamed, "You can't do that! It's hurting them!!!"

"What is she doing to them!?" yelled Tomoyo.

"I am taking some of their kingdom power," answered Loli, "Some of Heylind….some of Cerulean….then I will combine it and make what everyone in the R-Area fears."

Leslie's eyes widened and her voice became dry. She squeaked in desperation in an attempt to cry out to her friends again. Even though her throat would not entirely clear, she took a deep breath and cried out once more to Loli.

"Stop it now!!" she screamed as tears began to stream down her face, "You'll never get exactly what you want!"

This got Loli's attention as she turned to face the hysterical Leslie. She approached her silently, her eyes still as emotionless as ever as they stared Leslie down.

"Yes I will," she answered, "No one has ever combined the powers of two different kingdoms to make a new one…that is what the people are told to fear."

Leslie's eyes closed as she hung her head low, tears still streaming down her face.

"They call it a monster of this world....for its power is great…and so I will be like it and be strong..."

The gems began to sink into the two, piercing their insides and shocking them from within. They screamed in pain as the gems sank slightly deeper. Small thin streaks of blood trickled from where the gems stuck; creating deep wounds that burned and ached. Blood dripped from the corners of their mouths and in their noses. Then the sparks suddenly vanished and Neo and Jubilee's painful screams stopped. Both Neo and Jubilee fell to the ground hard, panting heavily as the small gems that floated above them. The collection of gems merged into two large gems: one full of green Heylindian power and the other full of blue Ceruleanite power

Taking the two large gems in both her hands, Loli turned around and showed the group what she had created. She lowered her head, shrouding her face in shadows as she drew a small and devilish smile on her face; the first bit of emotion she had ever expressed. Loli gave the two gems to two phantoms that brought them both over to a large container. The glass covering disappeared as the two set the two stones inside the container and backed away immediately. The covering appeared again and two mechanical arms were released from under the two gems, picking them up as they entered the chamber. They watched as the container began to fill with black liquid, the mechanical arms bringing the two gems closer and closer until they were touching at the tops. The gems began to glow with more intensity, merging at the top with sparks of blue and green igniting wildly. The last they saw was of the gems, nearly becoming one whole gem being suffocated and drowned by the black fluid as it finally filled up the entire container to the brim. The last bit of light they saw…was neither green nor blue…

Silence filled the room as Jubilee and Neo awoke from their unconscious state, realizing that they were now tied up by shadowy appendages. Jubilee immediately began to struggle against the arms as did Neo but something was not right and their eyes widened with shock.

"My ribbons, they won't come out!!" she cried as she continued to flail, "They won't come out!! They won't come out!!"

It was evident that there was a problem with Neo's chains for they did not appear either. Loli walked passed them emotionlessly towards the blackened container to retrieve her beloved gem, filled with the power she had been seeking.

"That is enough," she said quietly.

With a wave of her hand, the container opened and the shadowy liquid flooded out only to suddenly dry and become a solid ink-like substance. There in the center was the large gem, which now glowed a bright teal color. However, its power was dark and baleful from the introduction of the dark fluid. Loli took the gem into her hand and gazed at it in admiration as she turned to them. She held it against her chest tightly and it began to glow.

"I now have what I want," she said as the gem began to sink into her chest.

The gem disappeared inside of her and she began to glow the same teal color as the gem had. She looked up at the ceiling as the glowing intensified, her eyes glowing. Ribbons began to shoot from behind her, possibly from her back, the same way they do for any other member of royalty. The light then dimmed and the transformation was over. Loli now had the power she had wanted so badly.

"I now have that power," she said, "That superior power…"

Leslie closed her eye defeated as Neo and Jubilee began to struggle against the phantom arms, angry over the result of their suffering. Even though the arms were still holding them, they somehow managed to stand themselves up. But, the phantoms tightened their grip in the two and forcefully punched them in their stomach. The two coughed up blood from the forceful blow but they still managed to stand on their own. They glared at Loli, rage gleaming in their eyes as they fought to get closer to her.

"That's all you wanted!? Our powers?!" asked Neo angrily.

Loli looked over to them and glared. She unleashed a total of ten ribbons and whipped them towards the two rebels. They stopped dead in their tracks as they felt the ribbons take hold of them, knowing that one wrong move could cost them dearly.

"I do not need you two anymore now," she said as a few more ribbons appeared bringing the total to thirteen.

This was serious: thirteen was an impossible number for any normal member of royalty with the ability to form ribbons or chains. There was a mischievous smile on her face as she looked at them who were frozen in fear.

"I no longer need you," she repeated, "I said I wanted you to be mytemporary parents…but to me, parents are things you wear out over time. They are people who are supposed to love you forever and yet….they do not always. I only needed you in order to get your power. I am now stronger then all of you and thus…I no longer need you…my false parents."

With that said, her ribbons quickly released them only to come back and slam against them, pushing them backwards and across the room. Waiting behind them was a large mirror and the others watched as Neo and Jubilee fell into the mirror and disappeared. The mirror then shrank to a smaller size and the phantoms grabbed onto it and hung it on one of the columns in the room. Their shadowy arms then became rooted into the cement column, their fingers spreading out across the mirror's surface, making sure that the mirror was firmly planted. Eerie laughter echoed in the large room as they gazed at the dark mirror that now held their friends. Sakura tried to hold back her tears as a mixture of feelings began to build up inside her…anger…sadness…

"Why?!" she suddenly screamed at Loli.

Loli didn't face them nor did she answer Sakura's cries. In her agony, tears began to form in Sakura's eyes despite her efforts to hold them back. Next to her was Syaoran who flinched at the sight of Sakura in such pain…he couldn't not stand to leave her their in misery. Under his breath, Syaoran cursed Loli for keeping him from her side for he would give anything in order to comfort her. The sound of small footsteps filled the room and Sakura looked up to see Loli staring at her. She raised her hand and it glowed, removing the glass case that surrounded her and the others. The only ones who were still imprisoned in their case were Kero and Keyo. The glass covering was still tinted, the magic within silencing them both and keeping them from revealing Loli's secret. Kero panted heavily, tired from his fruitless efforts to be heard and upon seeing that he was ready to give up, Keyo forced himself to move. With what little energy he still had left inside him, Keyo pulled himself forward and leaned a single paw against the glass case, using it to lift himself up slightly. The circular symbol on his back was the same symbol that was seen on the back of the Image gems. It resembled a dream catcher with a sun, crescent moon and the word for dream in hiragana within it. The symbol began to glow bright golden yellow and the place on the glass where his paw was pressed against began to become clear again. He was using what little magic he mad left to break through the case's barrier….but only temporarily.

"Loli, listen…" he weakly said, "That power can't possibly stay at peace inside you for that long…it's unstable…it's not supposed to be inside you!"

"Liar," said Loli.

Keyo looked to Kero, signaling him to take advantage of the moment. Kero went to his side and shouted as loud as he could. It was something that they had failed to notice before…something that would explain Loli's appearance and behavior…something would explain why she felt so weak all this time.

"Loli is a doll!!!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.

There nothing but silence and everything seems to stop. Sakura's eyes widened as did the others and she looked at the young girl who still stood before them. Her eyes were empty and lifeless like always as they stared deeply at Sakura only to then fix upon the two creatures inside the glass prison.

"She's nothing but a doll!"

"You…" she whispered crossly as she narrowed her eyes.

Loli glowed a mixture of purple and teal as a ribbon shot out and slammed into the case, knocking both guardians into the other side of the case. Her eyes met with Sakura's again and something suddenly struck her. It made sense now. Sakura remember her last dream and now knew what the ending meant…what it was she saw on the floor…

It was Loli…a small helpless doll.

She remembered looking at herself to find that she was dressed in doll's clothing like Loli had and knew now that it was her who spoke so coldly from behind. _"How does it feel?"_ Her emerald eyes became full of sorrow as she stared at Loli. Closing her eyes and lowering her head, she could only whisper to the poor thing who she now pitied…

"It must feel…awful…"

Loli's eyes widened at the sound of her words and became overwhelmed with sudden grief. It was an emotion that must have been hidden deep inside, behind the impassive mind of a doll. Without a word, Loli suddenly lunged at Sakura, hugging her knees in pain as she stifled back any more tears that were forcing their way through. Her cries were at first too muffled to make out but Sakura thought she heard the distinct name 'Molly.' Sakura looked to her side at the others who gave her curious looks and upon looking down, Sakura tried to use the hand that was closest to Loli to pat her on the head.

"Who is Molly, Loli?" she asked softly.

Loli looked up at Sakura and pointed to her and Sakura. Seeing that she was being mistaken for this 'Molly' in her state of pain, Sakura shook her head. In frustration, Loli's face grew angry and she pulled away from Sakura. Unusual as it was for Loli to express any emotions at all, it was even stranger for her to express different ones in a matter of minutes: sadness, attachment and anger. Loli stared at the ground, tears still evident in her eyes as droplets splattered onto the floor.

"She was…my Molly…" whispered Loli painfully, "My Molly….who loved me so dearly. She said…I was her best friend in the whole world…My…Molly…"

_The gentle breeze blew inside the young girl's room and the morning sunlight waking her from her peaceful slumber. As she stirred_ _from her deep sleep, she hugged the small doll that laid beside her. Here eyes fluttered open and greeted the doll with a smile._

"_Morning Loli."_

_The doll, though could not smile on her own, was content just as her small owner was. Though no one else could ever perceive the doll's voice, the small girl could. She could always hear the little voice that her imagination gave to the doll…_

"_Morning Molly."_

"She was my only friend…I loved her so much," Loli continued with a slight whimper, "We did everything together…she took me everywhere. She would play every game imaginable…tea parties, hide and seek…she even read me stories. Those silly stories with characters that had loving parents and such. I even knew…that they were just fairytales. Because I knew…we didn't have that…."

_Molly laughed cheerfully as she swung high on the swing set in her backyard. She would periodically jump off from her seat to gently push the small swing next to her. On it was the small doll that she cherished so much and she treated her as if she was alive. Molly was the one who gave Loli a voice…who made her move…who made her feel alive and real. Molly's laughter soon came to a stop at the harsh sound of yelling, coming from the door by the back porch. Scared, Molly shuffled towards the door, her head hanging low. She only looked back at the lonesome doll for a moment._

"_You stay here, Loli…I don't want you to get in trouble too," she said as she left towards the door._

_Loli stayed on the still swing, the one beside her still gently swinging. This poor doll could only watch as Molly got yelled at…and hit once…twice…and a few more time, her pain filled yelps slightly audible from inside the house. _

_All Loli could do was sit…and witness…_

"My Molly….her mother was always sick and in the hospital. That was until she finally died of whatever illness it was that ailed her," Loli said as she made a fist, "And her father…who would yell all the time…who would get angry over every little thing….who would hit…my poor Molly…"

Loli's left fist tightened even more, putting pressure on her hands, which were still merely that of a doll's. Her thumb slightly chipped from the tightness of her angry grip as her memories continued to floor her mind. Her pain seemed to spread to the others, who also felt the angry and hollow sting of the terrible events; the terrible life of poor sweet Molly.

"He would hit her…and she would scream…and I could do nothing but lay and watch…My Molly…I am sorry…" she whispered solemnly, "My Molly…."

_The morning light shined through the partially opened window, the see through white curtains blew gently in the breeze from outside. The bedroom was filled with stuffed animals and the walls were painted a peach. There was laughter in the room as the young girl, Molly, set down her small porcelain teacup onto the small table in the middle of the floor. She had emerald eyes and short auburn brown hair that went down passed her chin. Two pink ties were in her hair, holding up two small pigtails. She beamed brightly at the small doll before her, who was dressed in a dark dress lined with white lace, a big bow tied neatly in her black hair._

"_How is the tea? Would you like some more Loli?" the Molly asked._

"…_It is delicious, Molly," answered the small doll in a light and shy voice._

"_Oh don't be so shy in your speech, Loli, you can say whatever you want to me."_

"_Molly, you always make such wonderful tea!" she said cutely. _

"_You talk so politely, Loli," Molly replied with a small laugh, "Loli…you are my best friend."_

_Molly leaned down and took her small doll into her arms, hugging her lovingly. She then sat back in her place. Molly's green eyes were slightly sad though as they stared down at the tea set on the table._

"_You are…my only friend, Loli," she said quietly, "The only friend in this whole house…in this whole world…"_

"_I will always be your friend Molly. And maybe one day, I will help you run away to some place like in those fairytales. We can go far, far away from that terrible person. I hate him." _

_Molly's eyes widened slightly in discomfort upon hearing the negative and spiteful words. Though she felt that running away would be wonderful thing to do too…she knew it could also do a lot of harm. She didn't want her doll to feel such negative things or to worry so much about her._

"_Oh no! Don't say such things," she said in distress, "There's no need to get so angry…I don't want you to be angry because you make things all better afterwards. Even when…"_

_A loud knock came from the door and the young girl became apprehensive, quickly taking her friend with her to the other side of her bed. She kneeled down in fear and watched the door as the banging continued until it finally flew open. The girl's eyes began to fill with tears as her hold on her friend tightened…._

"It was…all his fault…"

_A loud and thunderous voice bellowed from behind the door and Molly shook in fear. She then looked down at Loli, knowing that her father would get the door open eventually. Knowing him, he'd probably do something terrible to Loli for he hated the doll just as much as she hated him. Thinking quickly, she ran over to her window and hid Loli behind a few stuffed animals that sat neatly on the ledge. The window jetted outwards and made a ledge or seat that she often sat on as she stared out the window. It was also decorated with some of her stuffed animals and she hoped they would hide Loli well enough to keep her safe from her father. Just as she finished hiding Loli, Molly turned around to see the door finally swing open, a tall man standing on the other side. He was tall and had a strong build and both his fists were clenched in tight fists. "You!" he said as he approached Molly, "I thought I told you to clean the kitchen!" "I did, daddy," Molly replied nervously. _

_Her father snarled as he laughed. He neared her menacingly as she trembled._

"_Clean!? You call that clean?! There's a dirty glass on the counter!!" he yelled as he smacked her in the face._

_Molly flinched as she covered her face with her hands, tears forming in her eyes. Loli watched from behind the stuffed animals as her father continued to yell at her, blaming her for a number of things that was wrong with the house. In her state of fear, Molly ran towards the door but was stopped by her father who now held herby the hair. He dragged her towards him and he began to beat her again. Loli watched helplessly as she saw his large and strong fist come down on her again and again. She cries through it all, begging for him to stop but it went unanswered. All ties he had left on his temper were gone, broken now as he lost himself in his violent act of abuse. Yet through all the punches she took, Molly struggled through his grip, flailing and crying. But her efforts were useless as she began to tire out. In her last act against him in her attempt to break free, Molly brought up her right leg and kicked him in the stomach. Molly's father fell backwards and fell into the pile of stuffed animals that were placed neatly on the window's ledge. Upon falling backwards he broke the window and sent Loli, who was closest against the window, flying out._

_She fell two stories and hit the ground hard. Loli lay on her back, her face slightly cracked on one side, looking up at the window where the screams still echoed. Her left arm had broke and fallen out of its socket upon impact with the cold hard ground below….but even so, she could not feel anything. All she could feel was the cold inner pain of her "heart" as she listened to the screams above. Her voice, unheard by all but Molly, cried out to her forlornly as she saw the pure white curtains that gently blew in the breeze suddenly become stained with red. A thunderous sound emitted from the sullen gray sky that stared down on Loli and droplets of rain began to fall. A raindrop fell on Loli's face and streamed down her porcelain cheeks…substituting for the tears she couldn't cry on her own._

Her pale and delicate hand rose to her cheek and lightly touched the crack that went down the right side of her face. She kept her back to them, refusing to face them. There was a pain in everyone's hearts. Though they now pitied her they also knew that pity was not what she wanted from anyone.

"I am sorry Molly….I have taken too long in this," Loli said with a whimper, "But I…will make it right. I will find him. That person who killed you…My Molly…"

Sakura's eyes widened. She now knew that she had witnessed poor Molly's beating in her dream. But the meaning to her first dream still eluded her…who it was that she was supposed to find. Was it this man who Loli so passionately despised?

"Loli, is it her dad you want to find?" asked Sakura.

There was no response.

"If that's what will put you at ease, we'll help you! There's no reason things should be this way! Loli!"

Loli did not care to hear their pleas to settle things differently. She wanted things to be the way there were now and kind words wouldn't be enough to change that. Loli left them and the phantoms followed loyally. Though any of them could escape from their ties, Loli no longer seemed to care. In her mind, she was stronger then any of them and was confident that she'd be able to get rid of them if they tried to interfere. Out of their sight, Loli's new powerful aura glowed and sparks flashed around her. The ground below suddenly shook. Something in the world had shifted.

The five were left to struggle against the shadowy vines, which didn't seem to lessen in their strength. None of them were able to use their magic against the binding shadows since they could not reach neither the cards or their staffs and sword. As they struggled, they failed to notice the large shadow sweep across the floor and walls. It crept up behind them and began to grow in size, spreading across the floor like liquid and attacking the vines. It came to them as a surprise when their bondages began to wither and break apart around them. The five fell to the ground and saw the shadow sweep passed them and stop in the center of the room. It resembled a large black hole in the floor until two pairs of red eyes appeared within it, one pair above the other, the top pair being smaller then the bottom. These familiar red orbs gazed at them as the black spot on the floor began to lift and stretch up. The cracking of bones echoed as the shadow took shape, stretching in all directions as it took the form of a familiar creature. It was the being that they had seen attack Jubilee. At first, it said nothing and simple sat on the floor, staring them. All but Leslie wasn't afraid of the being and was far too upset over Neo and Jubilee's fate. She ran passed the creature and towards the mirror and presses her hands against the mirror's glass, calling out to them through her sobs. Alas, there was no answer to her desperate cries and nothing reflected within the dark glass, only her own reflection in sight. She slid down onto the floor and on her hands and knees she fought to be strong yet was losing the battle quickly.

Though at first there was hesitation, the others quickly came to her side in comfort, leaving the strange creature to continue to stare at them with interest. Syaoran and Eriol kept their eyes on the creature as Sakura and Tomoyo comforted the disheartened Leslie. The creature turned its head away from them and gazed at the two small creatures that were still locked inside the glass case. A long shadow extended from the creature and wrapped around the glass case, breaking it to pieces. Both Kero and Keyo fell to the ground but only Kero was able to rise up unharmed, while Keyo was too weak to move. The shadowy appendage that freed them picked them up carefully and slithered across the floor and stopped in front of Leslie. It handed the two to her and then swiftly retracted back into the creature. Leslie hugged the weak Keyo gently as Kero flew up and landed onto Sakura's shoulder. Leslie sniffled sadly as she tightened her hold on Keyo who unexpectedly passed through Leslie arms and fell back onto the hard floor. Leslie let out a small gasp as she gently picked him back up.

"It seems…I'm losing control on my powers," Keyo said weakly.

"Losing control?"

"Normally he can do things like teleport and go through walls…" said Leslie, "But it seems….he's too weak to control that all that. As for all of his other abilities, he's too weak to use them at all."

Keyo let out a small sigh as Leslie slowly rose to her feet, assuring the others that she'd be fine. A small smile made its way to her lips as she stared at her feet. Upon looking back at the creature, they found that it had not moved the whole time, merely staring at them with his red orbs that seemed so menacing in appearance.

"I know…I know they'll be okay," Leslie suddenly said softly, "Because they're together…."

The room was silent and a sense of comfort fell upon the small group. They then noticed how quiet things were and realized that Momo was not captured with them. They looked around them, searching for the small but loud ball of fur but she was nowhere in sight. Eriol then recalled seeing Jubilee toss Momo towards a high rock ledge in the circular room moments before she was pulled under the black goop. Since the ledge was pretty high up and the room was only filled half way with the ink-like liquid, Momo most likely found a small hole in the wall and squeezed through. They hoped that she'd be all right on her own.

"_Now freed from your prison, what do you intend to do__?"_ came a resonating voice, eerie and hollow.

They turned to see the creature start to move towards them, it's long rake-like claws scraping against the marble floor with each step. It stopped in front of them, staring deeply into their own eyes. Though its appearance was frightening to any stranger of its world, it also seemed to chill those who lived in the same one. A different sensation suddenly swept over them and Sakura no longer felt the aura of a threatening beast but of a composed being with no intention of corruption. Upon staring into those crimson orbs, impassive in all their mystery, Sakura unknowingly reached into her pocket and pulled out a Sakura Card. She looked down at the card, which she held so firmly in her hand and read the name: "THE DREAM." The DREAM card, a card that has the ability to give people dreams that foretold the future. They looked back at the creature who, without a word, looked at the door, which Loli had been seen entering and exiting through time and time again. It then looked back at them and then at the door, trying to signal something to them. There was more to the doorway then they realized and the creature, not wanting to help them completely, chose only to signal it to them.

"_Well…aren't you going to go?"_ it spoke again.

It turned and quickly returned into the form of a mere shadow and swiftly swept towards the door.

"Wait! Who are you?" shouted Sakura, "Why are you trying to help us?"

The creature looked at them and despite the fact that his eyes were nothing but deep red orbs with no pupils, a hint of enjoyment could be seen.

"_The world has shifted with Loli's hate_."

Its eyes narrowed and two other cards flew out from Sakura's pocket. The creature turned around and exited through the mysterious door swiftly like a mere shadow as the two cards followed closely behind it. With no other choice, they quickly followed the creature, calling out to it to stop. The room was now empty except for the lonely mirror deeply planted on the wall.

No one noticed a collection of shadows spread across the walls, like some bloody sickness.

* * *

Rain seemed inevitable from the dark gray sky above the small town of Tomoeda. Most people were inside, not wanting to bother with the dreary weather outside. Despite the fact that there was no rain yet, it still proved to be quite gloomy from the dark clouds that loomed overhead. Down the sidewalk that was lined with trees was a bicycle, slowly riding along. On it was a tall teenager with dark brown hair and brown eyes and walking along side him was an equally tall teenager with silvery gray hair and brown eyes. Both wore high school uniforms, which included dark pants, white blouses with dark blue or black neckties around the collar. Over the blouses they wore light blue jackets with the school's crest on the left side of the chest. Both were silent as they walked slowly down the path, lost in their troubling thoughts.

"Touya…" said the gray haired boy, "Where do you think…Sakura and the others are now?"

"I…really don't know, Yuki," Touya replied softly.

Touya returned to silence as he kept his eyes ahead of him and Yukito sadly looked behind them. Trailing behind was Sakura, or at least in appearance it was. In truth, it was still the Mirror Card who retained Sakura's form, in a desperate attempt to fool Sakura's dad. As for the others….it was something they had failed to try and cover up. The Mirror had explained to Touya and Yukito that Sakura had gone off in search of Jubilee who had disappeared. Touya had his small suspicions about Jubilee before but waved it away as nothing. Since he no longer had his magic abilities, he could not sense magical beings as well as anyone else's abilities. However, if he had sensed something strange towards Jubilee, then something was indeed off. It was most likely due to the fact that she was not of their world and gave off an aura that was unfamiliar to anyone. But, it was a vague theory he had come up with after discovering about Jubilee, who he still knew little about.

But now, Sakura and her friends were gone and they had to find some way to disguise it. Through his reluctance, Touya, the Mirror and Yukito went to Syaoran's house first. Since his guardian, Wei, knew about magic, they found it easy to tell him the truth of what they knew and that he had no reason to worry bout Syaoran's absence….Touya had to stay quiet though. For Eriol, they had gone to Nakruru and Spinal to explain the situation, which was also fairly easy. As for Tomoyo, they were at a loss and were unsure of how to explain the situation other then with a lie that she was sleeping over Sakura's house. They, of course, had to keep this from Fujitaka so that Tomoyo's mom wouldn't ask him about the fake sleep over and have everything ruined. Touya let out a tiring sigh at the thought of all they had to do for the passed two days all the while wondering when he'd see his little sister again. They looked ahead at sound of footsteps rushing towards them and saw Nakuru running towards them. She was waving her hands in the air, making sure to get their attention as she shouted out in a high pitched voice. Touya braced himself for Nakuru's rough hug but was surprised when it never came. He had forgotten Nakuru's only reason for her rough hugs was her desire for his powers, which were taken by Yue. After that, she quickly lost her interest in him. He let out a sigh of relief.

"They aren't back yet!! Where are theyyyy?!" Nakuru whined.

"We don't know but I'm getting sick of waiting for them to just appear," replied Touya, "I feel like there's something more we could do."

"Maybe just staying here is enough," suggested Yukito who, despite wanting to believe that staying behind was enough, also wanted to go in search for the group.

They continued walking along the path as Nakuru continued to whine. In her bag quietly sat Suppi who tried his best to block out her voice. Unlike the others, he was used to having to block out her complaints and thus could stand it longer. They soon came to a elementary school and could see ahead groups of small children playing outside in the playground on the other side of the chain link fence. However, something caught Touya's eye and he immediately came to a stop, surprising the others who trailed behind him.

"Touya?" said Yukito, What's wrong?"

Touya remained silent as he stared ahead of them. Upon looking passed him in the same direction, they saw a small girl by the fence. She had short dark brown hair and a gray ski hat was on her head. The girl wore a deep teal hooded dress with black leggings underneath and brown boots. Her hands tightly clutched the fence as her amber brown eyes watched the children happily play in the playground. Sadness seemed to glimmer in her eyes as she stared at the children, her grip on the fence tightening each time they laughed loudly. Though I appearance she seemed like a normal child, in Touya's eyes something was off. The other three stared at her as well and soon began to get the same feelings towards the girl. She wasn't normal. Touya got off his bike and slowly began to walk towards her, wheeling it beside him as he went along. Yukito, Nakuru and Mirror slowly followed from behind. To his surprise, the girl didn't hear them coming and was too fixated on the children in the schoolyard.

"Hey," said Touya softly.

The girl quickly turned around and looked at Touya with a surprised expression. She seemed apprehensive and looked as if she would run away from them at any moment.

"You're not from here are you?" he asked her.

She gave no answer and appeared to put up her guard. From the in playground, the sounds of a small child's scream caught her attention and she immediately turned back to look at them. There on the ground was a little girl who must've fallen on the ground. Near her, there were a few children were appeared to be laughing at her. The girl let out a small growl at the sight and her hands tightened even more around the fence. Touya kneeled down and looked passed her to see what angered her so much.

"Don't worry, it's alright," he said, causing her to turn and look at him once again.

"See, look."

Touya pointed at the scene and she turned around to see a couple of other children helping the fallen girl up and yelling at the bullies who had been laughing. The girl's expression quickly turned from angry to shock.

"W...Why?" she quietly said.

She began to slightly shake and rested her head against the fence and Touya assumed that she was close to tears. He doubted that she was upset about the girl being helped by the other children and that she, in fact, glad to see it. However, she didn't seem to expect any help from any of the children.

"No one ever helped you, did they?" he asked quietly.

The girl stopped shaking and she lifted her head from on the fence. At first, she only turned her head slightly but not enough to look him in the eyes.

"It's alright to cry. I understand," he said.

"I'm not crying," she replied as she lifted herself from on the fence, "I don't care about that stupid kid…or any of them."

"That's okay," he said, "You don't have to care. After all, you don't know them. But seeing a good ending that you never get to what you may go through is enough to make you cry. At least I think so."

The girl didn't say anything but turned around completely and looked at him curiously. The uneasiness in her eyes was gone and she no longer held onto the fence tightly.

"I'm Touya," he told her, "What's your name?"

The girl was uneasy to answer. Almost as if she wasn't allowed to let anyone know her. It wasn't anything like the rule to not talk to strangers. She couldn't even talk to those she knew since those same people would never know her. However, the people here in this world may not count and she slowly let her guard down. Not getting an answer, Touya assumed that she didn't want to tell him.

"It's okay if you don't want to. You don't h-"

"Erowen."

Touya was taken back at first but then after felt that he had connected with the strange girl. He stood back up and introduced Yukito and Nakuru. He almost slipped when introducing Mirror. Erowen looked at Mirror strangely, recognizing the form she took to be Sakura despite the fact that the two had never met face to face.

"You don't have a home to go to, do you?" asked Touya.

Erowen had no other choice but to say no. She could have lied and said yes since she had been able to survive on the streets before. But food always proved to be a problem since it was always scarce. She decided to be truthful and go with him to his home if only for a day before disappearing back to her own world. However, Erowen knew that by not returning to her own world right away, she was only staling in doing what she needed to do.

From afar, the Images watched from inside their mirrors as the mysterious girl left with the group. They wished to stay close to Erowen…they felt a familiar aura come from her and yet…it was also different in some strange way. She intrigued them very much.

Walking along, they passed by a dark alley which Erowen had been staying in over the night. The small group failed to notice a foul smell coming from in the alley and Erowen was grateful for that. If they had smelled the foul stench of something decaying, they might have become curious enough to look down the alley. How surprised they would have been if they had looked. They would have discovered the dismembered body of a now unidentifiable person that Erowen had been bothered by last night. Of course, she wouldn't have mentioned that she was there at all if they had found the bloody mess.

* * *

The shadowy creature swept through the halls with ease, leaving the small group of five to hurry along far behind it. They stopped to catch their breath and the creature's four red eyes watched them intently. It was then that they noticed their surroundings grow darker and change drastically. A sudden painful moan emitted from within the darkness and they froze in fear. Along with the eerie moan were sounds of bones cracking and gushing fluids squishing along with what seemed like footsteps. The creature's eyes watched at them intently, hints of entertainment reflected within them. It was enjoying the fact that these horrible sounds were scaring them.

"_Terrifying isn't it?_" it asked with amusement.

"What is that? What happened?"

The creature crept out from his hiding spot, revealing his beastly form. He advanced towards them and looked around at everything as it spoke, its mouth not moving once.

"_This is Loli's world now_," it said in a matter-of-fact tone, "_The horrible delusions of a twisted child who only sees the world as a ghastly place. Everything is how she wants it to be._"

"She changed the world? She's strong enough to do that now?" asked Tomoyo in fear.

"_She's been doing it little by little but with her new acquired powers, she was able to change it completely_," it replied, "_It's all under her control now._"

Another bloody scream emitted from somewhere around them and they huddled closer together. Sakura shivered in dread and held onto Syaoran tightly, which made him slightly nervous. But, the disturbing sounds around them made him even more nervous at the moment. He then felt the sudden thud against him and found Leslie was also clinging to him. Lucky for him, Tomoyo wasn't and was being comforted by Eriol instead.

"_If you aren't careful, you may end up like all the other people here,"_ the creature warned.

"What do you mean?' asked Eriol.

"_Don't you remember? That little neighborhood full of mindless people?"_ it began as it came closer to them, "_Loli made them all like mindless dolls, bound to their homes by their own shadows. It is said that a child that loves a certain toy can give it its own voice, heart and even mind. To that child, the doll is real. Loli did the opposite to those people and took away such qualities. They're dolls now._"

More cries echoed around them and they remembered the neighborhood they had passed by before. They were mindless because of Loli's power and now that she had even more power she could do anything. The world was now hers made from her hate and morbid thoughts. It also seemed that there were other things more horrifying against them now, worse then the shadowy phantoms that served Loli.

"Why did you bring us here…down this hallway?" asked Syaoran.

"_That's easy,"_ replied the creature calmly, "_To catch up on Loli. What else did you intend on doing? You can't break Neo and Jubilee out from in that mirror right now. So go and find Loli. Find Loli or find…"_

"Find who?"

"_Have fun playing with Loli's delusions._"

The creature began to fade from their sights despite their protest against it. They called out to it and asked for its name but it had already dissolved away. They were left once again alone, now with unseen twisted creation from Loli's dark heart. From in her pocket, Sakura pulled out the GLOW card and released it, sending out orbs of lights to guide them through the thick darkness. As they walked along, they only heard the eerie sounds from before but saw no monstrous beings come before them. The only disturbing things they came across were bloody floors, bones and dismembered limbs here and there. The torn up limbs were chewed on and had large bite marks in them, which explained the sounds they heard of something being chewed up. Whatever had been the cause of the bloody messes were watching them closely, maybe more then one responsible.

It seemed like almost as hour had passed since they started walking through the darkness. Guided by the small lights, they tried to ignore the constant sounds of moans and screams that echoed around them. They heard something run passed them from behind but saw nothing upon looking. Ahead of them, however, sounds of the floor cracking and bones snapping and resetting suddenly echoed. They quickly yet reluctantly shined the lights ahead of them and saw before them a horrid gray creature coming out from in the floor. It looked similar to a man and had gray skin and slightly sagged on its body with large blue veins showing from underneath. It had long arms and fingers that were just as long and stretched out ahead of it. Two eyes were located on its shoulders and blinked sideways and two other eyes were on its head. The creature wriggled around painfully, making gagging noises as it did. It seemed to suffer greatly as it moved about and all of its eyes blinked upon seeing the lights. Before they could utter out a single cry, the creature's head rotated completely, showing what was either the back of the head or even the front. It was hard to decipher since it had a large mouth that took up its whole head and was divided in four parts; going down the middle of its head as well as across. They screamed out in horror as the creature shrieked back at them, opening its large mouth and showing an array of crowded razor-like teeth before lunging forward.

* * *

Through the piles of rubble, something small hurriedly scurried by. It was poor Momo, who was desperately trying to find someone familiar to protect her. It was true that at the last minute, she was flung through the air onto a ledge high up in the stone room. It was something she found unpleasant but at the same time was grateful to Jubilee for doing it. She had quickly stuffed herself through a small crack in the wall and had been running through an intricate series of tunnels that finally led her to the outside. Since then, Momo had been running along, not knowing where she was going. All she knew that was if she didn't keep running, something could easily catch her. However, she was worn out and was forced to stop and catch her breath. As she rested, she recalled all the horrible sights she had seen while she was running. There were bloody limbs and headless bodies strewn about, chopped up by who knows what. It sent a cold and unforgiving shiver down her little back and couldn't seem to wave the memories of those unspeakable things away. Upon surveying her surroundings, she noticed a thick growth-like darkness spreading across the ground. It looked similar to vines and was a deep red. To her, it looked almost like dried blood and ink.

"Holy cheddar, what is that?!" she exclaimed, "Forget this, I'm not staying to find out."

With that said, Momo started running once again, trying desperately to avoid the mysterious growth that swelled. As hard as she tried, the growth was faster then her and quickly swept by her, rotting the ground underneath her. Fortunately, it did nothing to her but simply pass her by and in shock, she tripped on her own feet. Picking her head up from the ground, she stared off into the distance and watched as the mysterious substance rotten the ground ahead. She scratched her head bewildered and failed to notice someone come from behind. She squeaked with alarm as she was suddenly picked up from on the ground.

"Please don't hurt me! Please, oh please! I'm a great hamster, the cutest thing on the whole planet!" she yelled.

"Momo," said a voice.

"Please, don't hurt, please don't-Momo-chan-hurt me, no!!" she continued before opening her eyes to see a familiar face, "What's this?"

She sat in the palm of a woman with long deep red hair and emerald green eyes. She wore a purple shirt that was long like a coat in the back. In the front, the bottom of the shirt was like a belt that buckled and kept the shirt closed. The edges of the shirt were pink. Underneath the shirt was a dark purple dress that had thin white lines going around it from the bottom up, making it look like it was layered. On her head, she wore a purple head band, which the ties flowed down her back. She wore black tights and gray boots. The woman was short, probably no more then five foot. Behind her was Rue who was beaten up and dirty. The woman had what looked like a gun or some kind of gadget attached at her waist. She smiled at Momo who let out a sigh of relief and fell back onto her palm in exhaustion.

"It's alright," she said quietly, "Momo-chan."

The sky was malignant with thick clouds painted gray and black, a thunderous sound echoing above. The screams and moans of unnatural monstrosities from in Loli's darkest nightmares sounded off. It was a warning to all who may try and defy Loli, who now resonated with power beyond others…or at least most.

* * *

It was a snowy scenery, hollow and quiet except for the few who walked trapped within it. Behind its peacefulness that is seemed to give off, it was a lonely place of unending light and snow that wasn't cold at the touch. The unknown place was drenched in a blue hue but was a much darker shade. It felt more like a place of loss then of peace and it was clearly not the same as the place between dimensions.

There, all alone, laid Jubilee. She rose and looked around to see no one else and hugged herself sadly. Her calls to the others went unanswered, even Neo's who was thrown into the same place as she had been sent to. Where he could be was a mystery and it left her feeling cold. Once again she was alone in a place that was unfamiliar to her eyes. It could be mistaken to be any place, even the space within one's own troubled mind.

She struggled to lift herself onto her feet but failed and fell back down to the ground. Upon clutching her stomach in pain, she removed her hand to see it covered in blood. She hadn't noticed the large gash in her stomach before and assumed that it was from the gem that sank into her and took her powers from her. The thought of no longer having her Heylindian powers brought her to tears and she covered her face with her hands, even the blood stained one. Without her Heylindian powers, she wasn't really herself anymore and felt very weak, more then she did when she was hurt and still had them. As she leaned forward with her head in her hands, she felt something light and flowing brush up against her. Looking up, Jubilee saw two of her six ribbons out and brushing against her. The sight of her ribbons brought a smile to her face and she realized that she still possessed some of her power. Loli only took half of it. This brought her new hope and she wrapped one arm around her stomach as she rose to her feet once again.

Slowly, she walked through the snow, unclear as to where she was heading. The strange place seemed endless just as the snow that fell from above was. Jubilee came to a stop and breathed slowly, her head hanging low in sorrow.

"_Why were you sent here, where shadows weep and snow falls endlessly?_" asked a voice from somewhere.

Jubilee opened her eyes and slowly raised her head. Looking around, she saw no one but still heard the calm whisper of someone.

"_Where you sent away because you are unneeded? Unwanted perhaps?_"

"No…that's not why," Jubilee quietly replied with her head still down.

"_You were sent away before…you weren't wanted. Did someone think you weren't of any help to them?_"

"No, no…none of that is true," Jubilee replied her voice slightly louder.

"_Are you sure? What is true? Did that person lie to you in order to get rid of you?_"

"No!"

For a moment, the voice was silent as a few tears streamed down Jubilee's face. These new thoughts of being rid of by those she cared for dearly scared her and she didn't wish to believe it. However, she was always considered by some, especially enemies that they had come across through time, to be the weaker of the two. The last thing Jubilee ever wanted to believe was that she as well as any help she had to offer was useless and better left gone.

"_If not that person, then who? Who would ever want you to go away?_" asked the curious voice.

Jubilee thought and at first could think of no one or any reason of why she would be sent away by anyone she knew. However, a thought had come to mind, a fear that she always possessed. She was, in fact, dishonest to everyone she knows in Heylind, family and friends alike. She hid so many things from people and it wasn't just her magic. She could just image would people would say if they knew. What the people would scream out to her as she ran from them. She fell back to her knees, her hands grabbing her head as it lowered to the ground. She could hear the words that were cold and bitter. She said the words to herself, driven by her own self loathing.

"_You lied and I don't love you anymore."_

There was nothing else but silence in the place that could be described as someone's sorrowful mind.

_What words can come together?_

_From somewhere unknown to_

_make us better?_

_What can come to_

_soften the fall?_

_All the darkest things manifest_

_from in the mind of a doll._

_To be continued… _

* * *

Reprise: Finally done. Sorry this took so long, I took a bit of a break. During my summer I was writing my actual books (did good too) and didn't get around to writing this. But, I got back into the game and I think this came out nicely. Like I said before, it will now become more violent then before (I like doing that lol). And oh, what's this? A new character is introduced helping Momo-chan?! Lol.

It seems to be that I'm taking ideas from other pieces of work of mine and I didn't realize it (such as the new monsters…they're from another story I'm working on for the future. Also, the phantoms are from my other story which I worked mostly on during the summer. You can find out about it on _**Dreams of the Night's**_ sister site, _**Unending Light**_—link found in my profile). Yeah, I'm always getting ideas and stuff, it's just how I work best. If I'm not doing something I go crazy lol.

I hope you enjoyed this. Please R&R


	7. Wishes in Dust

Reprise: Okay…getting started now….sigh I get so lazy when it comes to starting a new chapter. But, it should be fun since I can be as violent and dark as I normally can…hopefully it will also be scary….and lure more people to read and review it. crosses fingers don't tell me I've lost my touch! fake cries okay I'm done.

Momo: On with it!

Me: Shush up, I'm starting, I'm starting…

Momo:….How much have ya done?!

Me: Stop it!

Disclaimer: I do not own CCS….tsk, tsk, another part of me has died inside XD

Claimer: I do own DC as well as any monsters that appear in this from my other stories….yay, those dead parts have come back to life!!

* * *

**Lies**

**Chapter 6:**

"**Wishes in Dust"**

_Now lay us down to sleep_

_and ignore the cries from way deep._

_Sighs of winter's icy breathe_

_a warning sign of someone's death._

_Perhaps time does repeat_

_to finish what was left incomplete._

_Though nothing can stop the rust_

_Or keep unattainable wishes from becoming dust._

Screams of death echoed in the darkness as blood poured like fountains from large gashes in the creature's sides. It stepped back and away from Syaoran, who held his sword defensively; threatening to strike the creature again. The creature lowered its head and shook it before sinking into the ground, disappearing for only a moment. From under Syaoran's feet, the ground quivered and he stepped back moments before the creature suddenly lunged up from in the ground. In a quick pace it crawled towards Syaoran and the others again. Syaoran showed no mercy to the creature as he quickly slashed the creature again. From behind, Eriol raised his hand in the air and it began to glow red. Rocks from around them glowed and were thrown at the creature, distracting it as Syaoran slashed the creature again. The monster, however, would not stay down and slipped into the ground again, withering below and out of their sight. Everyone was on edge as they awaited its appearance from in the ground.

"Sakura," whispered Eriol, "Get ready with the LIGHT card. Perhaps the light will blind and weaken it enough to end the fight."

Sakura nodded and prepared herself for the creature; staff and card in hand. They waited an unusually long time though, longer then they had before. Unfortunately, they could still feel its presence around them and could not risk assuming that it had retreated from the battle.

"Over there," Leslie whispered, pointing to the left of the group.

Strangely enough, the monster's long arm suddenly extended from in the ground where Leslie had predicted. From in the ground, its arm slid across the floor, heading towards Syaoran. At the last moment, it pulled itself from out of the ground and lunged towards him. At that very moment, Sakura released the LIGHT and blinded the creature, causing it to miss Syaoran. Turning around, Syaoran raised the sword high to strike the creature one final time. However, as he quickly came down, the blade of the sword was caught in its large mouth. It struggled to pull the sword away from Syaoran by the blade but it was far too weak to keep it up. Syaoran regained control of it, repositioning the blade from in its mouth and simply pushed down, impaling the creature through the mouth. Things fell silent. Syaoran withdrew his sword from the creature's mouth and it fell to the ground. As he walked away and back to the group, the creature went into convulsions. Though it was no longer a threat to them, it was possible that its death could bring other threats their way. Syaoran panted heavily in exhaustion and fell to his knees. While fighting the creature, it managed to hit his left shoulder, leaving a deep scratch mark. The others ran to his side to help him up to his feet, ignoring the creature that still moved in pain. It was dying and couldn't hurt them anymore.

Syaoran held onto his arm in pain and fell back down to his knees. It seemed that the immense pain of the scratch was delayed and only now was he feeling the sharp sting. Sakura and Tomoyo kneeled at his sides and tried their best to help him up but to no avail. Sakura accidentally grabbed onto Syaoran's bad arm and he winced in pain.

"I'm sorry, Syaoran!" she cried, "Are you alright?"

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. You didn't hurt me," he replied with a weak smile.

A light tint of pink appeared on both their faces by how close they were to each other but did not withdraw in shyness. Leslie took out a long sleeved blouse from in her bag and Eriol helped her rip off one of the sleeves. She then wrapped the sleeve around Syaoran's arm, making sure she tied it right over the scratch so it would act somewhat like a tourniquet. It was a key part in first aid, which Leslie had learned at school and once she was done, she looked at it with satisfaction. The bandage had helped in easing the pain and Syaoran felt well enough to rise to his feet, although he was still exhausted. The fight had drained him the most but he pressed on with the others just as he would normally as they continued walking through the twisted building.

As they continued walking, Sakura started to cough but waved away the others' concern for her. She was fine and maintained that claim. However, ever since their release from the shadowy vines that held them, Sakura started to feel a bit strange. She tried to ignore it but it did not go unnoticed to the others, especially Syaoran who now worried about her health. From in what seemed to be an endless darkness came a dim light ahead. Running towards it they discovered that it was a large window. Upon looking out it, they saw a number of twisted looking creatures thriving outside, proving that Loli's power of control and creation had indeed spread everywhere.

"What are we going to do? They're everywhere!" exclaimed Sakura.

"We have to get to Loli. If she loses her power, they may all disappear," said Eriol.

There was suddenly a loud sound coming from a far accompanied by small cries. Coming from over a large hill, they saw a large group of men dressed in black and gold armor. They were forcibly leading groups of scared children across the valleys, heading towards what was once downtown Heylind. There appeared to be a strange building in the area that had tall castle-like roofs and was painted in strange colors. The building wasn't ever there before and it plainly stood out from all of the other buildings. It was there in the distance around the building where groups of other soldiers were leading other children from all over to. The children did not seem to be affected by Loli's spell just as the rest of the kingdom was, whether it was done purposely on Loli's behalf or if the children were simply immune to it.

"What are they going to do to those kids?" Tomoyo whispered.

"Whatever it is, it's not good."

The ground below them suddenly shook and they became tense. They feared that the building was becoming unstable and, not wasting anymore time, they began to run down the bleak hallway. Ahead was a pair of tall doors and upon bursting through them, they saw that no one was there. However, there were clear signs that it was inhabited and that only recently was it abandoned. It was in ruins, tables and chairs knocked over and in pieces while glass from the windows were scattered across the floor. Leslie looked down and saw an old music box at her feet. It was a carousel music box, with horses that moved around as the music played.

"I remember I had one of these," she said as she gently hugged it, "It played such pretty music."

"One of the horses is gone," Syaoran said as he pointed to a bare spot.

The music box was old and dusty and slightly cracked. Leslie looked on the bottom of the carousel and found its key but upon turning it the music failed to play. Instead of the music, the sounds of a horse's cries suddenly rang out and they quickly turned around and saw a large porcelain horse suddenly fly out one of the broken windows. It was the same kind of horse as the ones from the carousel and the group ran up to the window only to see it flying off and towards the strange new building. On its back was Loli, facing toward them and mischievously smiling as she left. Before their eyes, Loli's appearance suddenly changed. Her straight and smooth black hair became matted and no longer had a bow. Her bangs covered her face on one side and her eyes were still a deep color. Her outfit was no longer a black laced dress but a black long sleeved V-neck dress with tattered sleeves and bottom. Underneath was a gray shirt with a strange pendent on the front. It was a circle with a dot in the middle and two hooks coming out of the sides, pointing in different directions. She wore black shoes and gray socks that were tattered at the top. The large crack in her pale face remained, a cold reminder that she was nothing more then a vengeful doll. She disappeared into the building as groups of children were herded inside it and it made Sakura wonder if what she was looking for was in fact a child and not the adult who had wronged her. However, there was something about it that still didn't fit.

"We have to get down there," said Kero as he turned into his lion form.

Sakura released FLY and a pair of white wings appeared on her back. The group then ascended into the sky and headed towards the strange building. As they flew on, Sakura tried to hide another set of harsh coughs from the others but it did not go unnoticed by Syaoran who was well aware of it. Behind them, the old building began to fall apart, little by little until only parts of it remained standing.

* * *

Gray clouds full of rain hovered above the small town of Tomoeda and from inside a small yellow house sat a small girl. She looked out of the window forlornly as dinner in the kitchen was being served. The sweet smell of fresh pasta met her nose and she turned around with interest. Upon entering the kitchen, she was surprised to see a seat at the table ready for her and she hesitantly made her way to it.

"You don't have to be so shy about it," said Yukito, "You're a guest here so eat up."

Erowen slowly began to eat and grew happy with each bite. At first, the dinner was quiet and Touya noticed how Erowen kept looking behind her and towards the window as if something was there. She tried to not draw attention to the fact that there was something outside of the house that interested her. Erowen was quick to see how observant Touya was and knew how to keep him from looking outside.

"Your sister isn't home."

Touya looked up from his plate and stared at her.

"No…she's sleeping over a friend's house," he answered.

"She's far away."

Yukito felt some tension in the room as well as something strange from the girl herself. He was not alone in this. From upstairs, Mirror listened into the conversation. Although Erowen had met Mirror in Sakura's form, it did not seem to fool the girl who had never even met Sakura to begin with. Erowen looked over her shoulder once more, a look of suspicion on her face. Silence filled the room.

Thunder sounded off in the distance, signaling that rain would soon fall. It, however, went unnoticed to Erowen as she walked down the streets. Everyone had gone to bed except for her who instead snuck out and fled into the night. She had never intended to stay very long anyway and was pleased about how easy it was to leave. Although she had assumed that everyone was asleep, he was wrong. Touya had watched her leave the house and had followed her, along with Yukito and the Mirror card, still in Sakura's form.

"She's not normal after all," he whispered.

"I also realized it…as well as my other half," said Yukito, "We both felt something different from her…something strong."

"Wonder where she's going," Touya said, "What's out there?"

Erowen's eyes scanned her surroundings until she saw someone in the distance ahead of her. It was a man wearing a brown overcoat, his face hidden by a hat. He walked slowly down the street, slightly slouched over and looking at the ground. Erowen quickly ran to him, determined to not lose him.

"Hey!"

The man turned and looked over his shoulder only to back away with distress. He quickly began running, tripping slightly on his own feet first before going. Erowen only ran faster but seeing that may not catch up to him, she began causing problems for him. Items from an open market suddenly flung out, trying to hit him as he desperately attempted to lose Erowen. A wooden plank from a workshop moved and was thrown in his path, taking him by surprise and causing him to fall to the ground. He looked behind him and began to back away on all fours as Erowen approached him.

"Please leave me alone!" he shouted at her.

He grabbed the wooden plank and swung it at Erowen, trying to keep her away from him.

"I just want to talk! Just listen to-will you stop it!" she yelled at him.

In her frustration, the plank suddenly broke in two, leaving the man with only a small half of what it once was. The man, scared, looked at the board and then back at Erowen.

"What do you want from me?" he asked with a whimper.

"You're going to come back home with me," she replied, "Because of you running here, both worlds have been connected. Now everything is messing up."

"Why…what's the use in it?" the man asked sadly, "I have no reason to return…what will I go back to? Death…simply death."

"Then you accept that. Stop running…the longer you do, the more suffer because of it."

The man slowly looked up at Erowen and stared at her.

"Why would **you** care…if humans suffer?"

Erowen was taken back by his response and her eyes widened. She looked at the ground in silence but the sudden sounds of a loud moan and liquids gushing caught her attention. Before her was a large monster with a slender shadowy body and a china doll-like face biting down on the man's right shoulder. It had long sticky vine-like tentacles wrapped around the man as its large mouth bit down on his shoulder. The sounds of blood gushing out and bones cracking were piercing to her ears but the man refrained from screaming in agony.

"Loli…how?" he choked.

"NO!"

The creature released him from its bite and screeched at Erowen before its tentacles were suddenly ripped off. The man was dropped to the ground and the creature wailed in pain. Erowen did not move from her spot but merely glared at the creature, her eyes filled with hate and power. Its screams were then cut short as its head was split down the middle, ripping into two and almost exploding. Pieces of its heads were scattered across the ground and its blood and black liquid-like body were splattered all around. The man looked up in shock and then at Erowen who kneeled down in front of him.

"She found me after all…"

"No she didn't," said Erowen, "I don't think she's controlling them anymore. I think they're moving freely now…and coming here on their own without her knowledge."

The man clutched his shoulder in pain as he tried to get up from his spot on the ground. Erowen attempted to help him up but he refused.

"I have to go to the hospital. I can't go with you back there," he said.

Erowen stayed quiet as she lowered her head in sadness. The man shuffled away from her in pain and Erowen did not try and stop him. Unknown to her, he grabbed onto a piece of the plank again and suddenly hit her over the head with it. Erowen was thrown away from him and her hat was knocked off her head.

"I will not be bothered by you or anyone else! I just want to be left alone…alone in all my remorse!" he cried.

Erowen slowly sat up from her spot and saw the shadow of someone standing over her. Looking up, she saw Touya and Yukito.

"Leave her alone!" Touya snapped, "I don't know how…or what is even happening but…I know she had just saved you from whatever that thing was that attacked you! Show some gratitude!"

Yukito kneeled down to help Erowen up and noticed something different about her. On her head where two brown bumps, almost rod-like in shape that stuck out from on her head. They were smooth and lighter in color compared to her dark brown hair. Erowen noticed this and immediately grabbed a hold of her head to cover them. However, Erowen did not hear the response she was expecting to hear and was surprised to merely be handed her hat. Looking to Yukito, she saw a kind smile full of understanding. Touya noticed this and his eyes softened until he heard the sounds of the man's voice one again.

"It is too late," he said, "If what you said about the monsters acting freely is true…then that means Loli has grown in power. She will engulf the world…and make it the one she had always wanted….what Molly always wanted."

"What?"

"She will replace what she hates with what she loves the most…she will take and not care…and she will wipe out all…that can stop her dream…stop her and Molly's dream of perfection."

"Who are you talking about?! Who is Loli? Who is Molly?!" cried Touya.

The man slowly raised his head and looked at Touya with weary eyes.

"Loli is nothing more then a doll…an unnatural doll given real life by some unknown darkness…she was a haunted thing," he whispered, "And Molly…is the one who gave her a voice, a heart and a mind…Molly…my poor dead daughter."

A single tear trickled down his face as he stared at them, showing his sorrow and regret. But, upon setting his eyes on Mirror in Sakura's form, his eyes widened. He reached out his left hand, which shook in his shock.

"You there…"he said, "You look…you look…"

Mirror looked at the man with saddened and confused eyes and he stuttered.

"Molly…"

Erowen's eyes widened and she realized how dangerous things had become. Rising up from her spot, Erowen began to run towards the warehouse where she had first come from.

"_That girl is in trouble…it won't be long until…_"

Erowen finally saw the old warehouse that acted as a second portal to the R-Area and wasted no time in running through its large doors. Not far behind her were Touya and Yukito, carrying the injured man with Mirror beside them.

"Where are you going?!" shouted Touya.

"Back to my world. Your sister might be in a lot of trouble," Erowen replied.

"Sakura? What's going to happen to her!?"

Erowen did not answer but assured them that Sakura would be safe with a smile. Without another word, Erowen ran through the largest gear and was gone. Touya, Yukito and Mirror stared at the gear with worry and hoped for the others safe return.

"Like I said…" began to man, "Loli will replace all that she hates…with all that she loves…even those that are dead."

Unknown to them, the Images hovered from behind and began to glow brightly. They then started to shake and suddenly shot out and passing through the portal...

* * *

Looking through a small brass telescope, the armored soldiers herding more children were in full view. The person looking through it smiled and her green eyes glinted with satisfaction. Behind her stood Rue while Momo tried to look through the telescope from on her shoulder.

"Would ya look at that?" she said with a grin.

"What are they doing?" asked Momo.

"Collecting children and keeping them inside that building over there," answered Rue, "Loli is looking for-"

"A child I take it," said the woman with a smirk.

Rue choked as the woman put away the small brass telescope with a smile. Putting her hands on her hips, the woman gazed at the sight ahead of her. There was something else to the collection of the children that she wasn't be told about.

"Actually…" began Rue.

With a smile of satisfaction, the woman slowly turned her head and looked at Rue.

"Hmm?"

"She's looking for more then one person…that is to say…"

The woman laughed loudly with pride and Momo clung to her shoulder to stay on. Rue merely sighed at this, feeling that she had done a bad job at keeping her secrets.

"I knew I'd get it out of you! That's why I'm me!" said the woman with a laugh, waving her index finger at Rue.

"Wha-"

"Yup, that's why she's her! One of the best scientists in the R-Area!" cheered Momo as she continued to cling to the woman's shoulder.

The woman raised her head with pride and suddenly noticed something in the sky. She squinted and realized that it was a winged lion carrying people. Quickly, she took out the telescope once again and upon putting it to her eye saw them more clearly. Not only was there a winged lion flying towards the strange building but a girl with wings, who appeared to be flying uneasily as if she were unwell.

"Would ya look at that…" she said with interest.

"I know them! They're the people who came to help us from another world," said Momo, "Leslie should be with them too!"

The woman took another look.

"I see Leslie but…not Jubilee or Neo."

"WHAT?!"

"Oh dear…" Rue quietly said.

The woman lowered the telescope from her eye and watched the small group of kids fly towards the castle-like building. The wind calmly blew as the situation grew more and more serious. The woman's long red hair waved with the breeze as her green eyes, filled with discomfort, stared at the building. It was almost as if there was something inside it that seemed familiar.

"What are we going to do now," Momo asked somberly as she looked up at the woman, "Waylou…?"

* * *

The sounds of children talking and shouting echoed within the rooms of the mysterious castle. High on the second floor, a large pair of closed doors began to glow and Erowen suddenly fell out from the other side. She clearly wasn't expecting to fall nor end up in the castle. She slowly picked herself up from on the floor and was a bit dizzy, stumbling around before finally regaining her balance.

"Where am I?" she asked, "The portal is completely messed up now…it's appearing anywhere. Must be Loli's fault too."

From ahead, Erowen heard the sounds of the captured children crying. As she began to run in the direction of the cries, a sudden chill overcame her. She immediately stopped and grabbed a hold of her arms, bending forward and shaking as if she were freezing.

"No he can't be…"

Trying to shake the feeling, Erowen quickly darted towards forward, Turning a corner, she saw a balcony ahead and quietly approached it; first hiding behind a large pillar near it. Upon peering over the balcony, she saw the whole first floor of the castle was crowded with scared and confused kidnapped children. Her eyes frantically scanned the area, looking for someone in particular. The chilling sensation that she felt guided her further down the balcony until she finally spotted the person she was looking for hiding in the back. It was a young boy, about two years younger then her with messy black hair and brown eyes. He wore a blue hat similar to her own and had a blue hooded sweatshirt and beige pants. He looked as equally confused as the rest of the children and was repeatedly pushed around by the others around him. Erowen sighed and glared at the boy with frustration.

"How'd he get caught? I told him to stay hidden and look what happens," she whispered to herself.

Watching him from afar, she noticed that he suddenly experienced the same chill as she had. He began to look around him and Erowen sighed again.

"Adam, I'm up here," she whispered although the boy wouldn't hear her.

A sudden loud noise emitted from the front of the room and all of the children looked in the same direction. From high above the room, a pair of golden yellow doors opened and Loli stepped out from inside the small room. Both Erowen and the boy, Adam, gasped and quickly hid; Adam ducking and hiding within the crowd and Erowen taking cover behind the large white pillar. Loli stared at the children with a blank look before a mischievous smile appeared. Erowen became tense and after realizing that Adam was no longer in sight did her worries worsen.

"_Damn it…I walked in right into her trap_," Erowen thought, "_Not just me but…_"

Erowen searched the crowd for Adam but failed to find him and she hoped that Loli wouldn't either.

"Adam, do what you do best," she whispered, "Hide."

Far in the back, Adam had crawled on the floor, weaving in and out of the crowds from underneath until he found his way into the back. All of the children were too busy looking in fear at Loli and he saw his chance to hide completely. Adam's outline suddenly vanished, his whole self gone from sight and invisible to the eye. However, far in the front, Loli's eyes suddenly widened and a suddenly chill went down her back. She then turned her attention to the back, staring with evil eyes and Erowen realized that she knew where Adam was.

"No…she can feel Adam…she must be able to sense us better when we use our powers," she said to herself, "She won't find him though…I won't let her."

Erowen stared across the room where the balcony continued. Focusing on a large pillar, she caused it to crack and suddenly break in half. Loli's attention was turned to the suddenly destruction of the pillar as it was about to come down onto the children below. However, Erowen stopped the pieces in mid air and instead hurled them at Loli. Acting fast, Loli deflected the pieces of pillar from hitting her. While she was distracted, Erowen quickly jumped onto the balcony railing and with hesitation jumped off of it. The children below pushed themselves out of the way, creating a small circle where Erowen could land safely. Loli caught sight of Erowen as she ran through the crowd, pushing other kids aside in a desperate attempt to escape. Enraged, Loli jumped down to the first floor, her presence pushing the children away from her and into the walls. She screamed in anger at Erowen, causing the shadows around her to lash out. Loli walked towards the back of the room, pushing more children hard into the walls with each step and their cries grew louder with pain. The shadows that chased Erowen seeped into the ground, causing it to suddenly come up like a wave made of rocks. It came up from under Erowen's feet and suddenly threw her far into the wall in the back of the large room. Erowen slammed into the wall upside down, first imbedded in the wall before falling to the ground. Adam saw and immediately became visible, running to Erowen's side in worry. After a few minutes, Erowen finally opened her eyes and gave Adam a weak smile o assure him that she was fine.

"You had to get caught, huh?" she said.

"Sorry. Somehow Loli caused all these children to fall asleep…including me. When we woke up…we were here."

The shadows from in the ground reappeared, forming into four china-faced monsters, the same kind that Erowen had previously fought. The monsters screeched at her as other hideous creatures manifested behind them. With the monsters came Loli, glaring at them with hate. Although Erowen was prepared to direct any attack to her, the monsters came in her way and lunged at the two. Erowen and Adam jumped to opposite sides as the monster smashed into the wall, splattering everywhere like water before reforming itself. Erowen wasted no time in ripping the monsters apart, decapitating and dismembering them with ease, much to Adam's dislike. At the sight of the monsters' red blood everywhere, Adam became scared and turned invisible once again.

"Adam, fight back!" cried Erowen.

Although invisible, a gray creature crawled out from in the floor and slammed into Adam. In a panic, Adam's eyes flickered like a candle and the creature was suddenly engulfed in flames. It screeched in pure agony as its gray skin began to turn black and peel off, gushing out blood all over the floor as its long arms twisted in unnatural directions. Adam looked away at the traumatizing sight of the creature's blazing head spinning about and its eyes on both its shoulders and back of its head began to melt away.

"That's good, just keep at it! You have to defend yourself!" coached Erowen as she caused another creature to split in half.

Adam, although scared at the sight of blood, pushed through in order to fight, setting creatures that came his way on fire. However, noticing how the two reacted gave Loli an idea. In a flash the monsters where gone and silence filled the room. Erowen was about to approach Loli when she and Adam both noticed a dripping noise behind them. Turning around they were horrified to see blood leaking from in the cracks of the walls. It suddenly turned into a sprinkler, splattering Adam and Erowen with thick coats of blood. Figures of humans suddenly appeared and to their horror, saw their heads explode. Adam curled into a ball terrified as if he were reliving some past incident and Erowen could only stand wide eyed. In her eyes reflected sorrow and what some would call regret. Immobilized, shadows shot up from in the ground and the blood that stained the walls behind them became solid like spider webs, shooting out and grabbing a hold of them. Despite their struggle, the shadows where too thick and were forcibly pulling them down as if to suffocate them.

"I have you now," said Loli with satisfaction, "I didn't know there were two of you...I guess that's even better. Now I can use you to find the one who I yearn to kill more then anyone in the whole world."

"We can't find anyone!" yelled Erowen.

"Liar. You found each other among the crowd of children."

"We can only find each other!"

Loli's eyes widened in shock as the two struggled to stay above the shadows that trapped them.

"No…no, you have to find that person. I can't do it on my own!"

"It's true, we can only sense each other!" shouted Adam.

"You don't need us! You found him without knowing it!" yelled Erowen, "He's in the other world! I saw him and one of your monsters attacked him! You never needed us at all!"

"…Is he dead then?"

"….Yes….yes, he's dead now," Erowen lied, "Now let me and my brother go!"

Loli remained quiet in her misery, ignoring Erowen's pleas for freedom. For so long she had waited for the day in which she could find and kill the person who had caused her so much pain…the person who had caused the one she loved most pain. To now hear that he may already be dead and that she could not witness his slow and agonizing slaughter left a void inside her. She now wished to fill it with something else.

"If that is the case…then I shall continue," she said in a soft voice as the shadows rose and swallowed the two children, "To ensure that no one can ever change what I have made for you…Molly."

Loli looked up to the ceiling and raised her hands in the air as she smiled with success.

"No one will be strong enough to get rid of this world that I have finally made. All will dwell within it and with a wave of my hand things will be created and things will be destroyed. With a wave of my hand…anyone who wrongs me will disappear."

Outside the castle, the group was closing in only to notice two people watching them from below. They were nearby the entrance, waiting for them and Leslie recognized the two immediately as Rue and Waylou. They flied lower to the ground but did not land as the two people ran over to them.

"Rue, Waylou! You're okay!" exclaimed Leslie with joy.

"And me!" yelled Momo.

"I'm sure they didn't forget about you," said Waylou, "I don't think I know all of you though. I'm Waylou one of the top scientists of this world. I've been hiding in my lab all this time."

"Why?"

"Looking for some answers if course. I found some interesting things about this doll…you know, the one we're fighting."

"We know she's a doll."

Waylou paused before snapping her figures sadly.

"Damn, I thought I'd surprise you with that."

A loud thundering sound echoed and the ground harshly shook. The caused seemed to be coming from inside the castle as its roof began to change colors and warp.

"Quick Waylou, what did you find out?!"

"Oh right, right. Let's see," she began, "In the article I had found…Loli's owner, Molly lived with her father in a small house on the top of a small hill that was on the other side of Heylind. It was more of a countryside back then with few houses and residents there at the time. Supposedly, most of the people there denied seeing any abuse from the house with the exception of a woman named Morgan LaBlain. She stated that she had tried to help Molly but it wasn't enough and thus had accepted blame for the girl's death. However, she was really the only one in that small little town that took any blame and it may have cause Loli to be filled with even more hate for not only Molly's father but for those who did nothing to help."

"Is that house still there?"

"The house is…but that whole town is gone as well as all of the original residents. It may be why Loli is aiming at everyone…if she can't get to those who acted blameless then she'll go for everyone else."

"In hopes that any of them are related to those people maybe?" suggested Tomoyo.

"That or…" began Waylou, "she just wants everyone to feel miserable like she does."

The ground shook again and the sounds of the crying children became louder. The castle began to become more and more warped and all of its windows were suddenly covered by a red barrier. There was no other way inside except for through the front gate, which seemed to be the only part of the castle that hadn't changed.

"Maybe we can use MIST again to rot away at the door like with the other building," suggested Leslie.

"Good idea. Sakura, use the MIST card," said Eriol.

Sakura, however, did not hear them at all. Her eyes seemed blank and emotionless and her face almost pale. Her head hung low as she hovered over the ground. Suddenly, she turned away and flew up and towards a window. The DREAM card suddenly followed her, shooting out from in Sakura's bag that Tomoyo held for her. The barrier around the windows suddenly disappeared, enabling Sakura to pass through before it reappeared again. The card also managed to stick to Sakura's back just before she passed through.

"Sakura!" cried Tomoyo, "What happened to her?"

In worry, Syaoran immediately ran to the front doors and sent a powerful bolt of lightning at it in hopes of breaking inside. When it didn't work the first time, he tried again before switching to fire.

"SAKURA!!" he cried in frustration and anxiety.

At first the others merely watched him in his attempts before Cerberus ran to the door and slammed against it. Waylou watched the frantic group of kids as they tried to break the door down using what they were left with.

Inside the castle, all was silent except for a few whimpers from the scared children. They all lined the walls of the large room, creating a wide clear space. Loli stood alone in her sorrow as she let the shadows swallow the two children. Their muffled cries went unheard and she could only hear her own words of pain.

"I waited…in such a dark and cold place," she whispered to herself, "I waited there…for what seemed like and eternity…"

A world of black and white entered her thoughts, raising up old memories that stained her mind. It was a pretty room with a sunny backyard and yet none of it was happy despite the bright colors that the sun shined upon. Nothing was warm, especially when inside some unknown place that was as dark as ink.

"I hated that place…that house. I twisted it so many times and yet…it never changed to me. It never…ever changed."

The light sounds of feather beating against the wind caught Loli's attention and she turned around to see Sakura gently float down and land in the center of the room. The children whispered with amazement, comparing Sakura to that of an angel because of the lovely feathered wings on her back. Loli smiled a sad smile and ran to Sakura, embracing her lovingly.

"My Molly…"

Molly was dead and yet Loli refused to believe that death was unavoidable or irreversible. She saw before her what looked like Molly's angel, coming back to her with the promise of living in their perfected world; the world she had envisioned so long ago. Loli hoped for praise for the creation of the world that she always wanted, which she had saw as accepting and loving unlike the one that she had endured.

"I had expected everyone inside that building to be crushed…it was risky and I thought that maybe I would lose you in there with those other people. But you all escaped I assume."

"Lo…li…" whispered Sakura as she attempted to regain control of her own mind.

"I knew…the moment I saw you, that you were her. The name you gave…means nothing now. I knew you were the one…who Molly could take over," whispered Loli, "When I first trapped you in the vines and saw you close up, I drained you in way I guess. I made it so that with each minute, you'd get weaker so that you'd be pushed out of the way…so that Molly could come instead. I even made this castle for us to live in…anything is better then that old house from long ago. I will replace everything that exists…with what I love most…"

* * *

In a world of silence and sorrow, unending snow fell from above down upon a sleeping girl. Jubilee had weakly fallen after an unknown voice had beaten her with questions that she now wondered the answers to. Even now, she could still hear them.

"_And the world will fall into another dream, more absurd then the previous one,"_ the voices spoke again, _"Although we wished Loli good luck in her desires…we only did it so those feelings of hate and misery could finally be erased for good. Would that make you hate us…that of unknown?"_

Jubilee slightly moved as she began to awake from her sleep. Her eyes fluttered open to the sounds of someone's footsteps and upon opening them did she see Neo kneeling besides her.

"Are you alight?" he asked.

"Yeah but…"

Jubilee rose from on the ground and looked around. She reached her hand out to her side and felt what seemed like a wall. She did not see one of any kind and yet was clearly able to press her hand against one. Seeing this, Neo did the same and the two realized that they were possibly in the very back of the mirror that they had been thrown into. Neo punched the wall and the two felt the ground move.

"Don't do that," Jubilee snapped.

"I won't…it seems that if we hit this wall, it moves the whole mirror," Neo replied.

There was silence between the two.

"When I closed my eyes…I could hear the others from outside," Jubilee said softly.

"So could I."

"Everyone…is in trouble."

They sat in silence once again as they thought of a way out from in the mirror. However, there was no way to find the front of the mirror from where they were. Neo looked at the wall again and suddenly punched, harder then before. The ground shook again and Jubilee gave him a look.

"Why'd you do it again? You said you wouldn't!"

"If we can shake the mirror hard from inside, it might be enough to throw it off the wall on the other side and set us free."

"Or…trap us in here."

"No, each time I hit it, the mirror shakes us the other way towards where the exist probably is," Neo explained as he stood up and slammed into the wall again, making it shake even more.

Jubilee realized that the mirror did in fact throw them the other way and it was easier then trying to find the exist themselves. Neo and Jubilee repeatedly slammed into the wall, each time harder then the last. As they hit the wall, they felt themselves be thrown away from it.

On the other side, the mirror was still attached to the stone pillar of the first building. However, most of the building had come down and the stone pillar that the mirror had been attached to was worn out. The vines that held the mirror in place were now loose and shook and jumped each time the two inside hit the back of the mirror. It was only until the vines finally broke off that the mirror went flying, hitting the ground glass first and shattering into pieces. The mirror lay on the ground among the many pieces of shattered glass. It suddenly moved and flipped onto its back with its front exposed. There was nothing but a seemingly endless darkness inside the mirror. However, rising up from inside the darkness was Neo and Jubilee, standing back to back. The two stared up into the gray sky above, a look of determination on both their faces. They rose up into the sky and hovered over the ruins, looking into the distance at the strange castle afar.

"This has gone on long enough. If we don't stop Loli in time, Sakura may be completely replaced by Molly's spirit," said Neo, "That is what Loli wants, isn't it? That and more power to make everything the way she wants it to be…"

"I heard what the others had said about Loli and the small house that she had once lived in…about the people who denied that anything that had happened to Molly was their fault," said Jubilee, "But…the voices in the mirror told me something else…Loli had said that she was in a cold and dark place for a very long time…"

"So?"

"…I don't think she ever really left it."

Unknown to the two who hovered above the ruins, an eerie light passed through the rocks and disappeared far off into the distance. It was a strange light with what looked like the shadows of letters and numbers floating within it. It went unnoticed to both Neo and Jubilee as well as to the monsters that roamed the gray lands. The two flew off towards the castle but Jubilee did not intend on stopping there. She believed that all that Loli wanted was to be free from the darkness which she had been left within and Jubilee intended to go to that place.

From somewhere unseen, the shadowy four-eyed creature watched the world, keeping a close eye on a place far off on the other side of Heylind…

"_That's a good puppet_.."

_There is a place that brings such sorrow._

_I wish to destroy it but I can only twist it._

_I remained there for many years, _

_Alone in the dark, each day passing I felt_

_My heart ache with hate and pain._

_I merely wish for a second chance I suppose…_

_For all that was wonderful and loving to return _

_And for the world that we had both dreamed of._

_But I was nothing more then a doll who could_

_Not protect you and therefore lost you._

_When that of unknown origins had come_

_To clean my wretched home of all lingering misery,_

_Mine remained and would not stay erased._

_It had decided to stay with me and give me power…._

_It was then that I could be more then a doll and leave_

_The house that I detest so greatly._

_I wished for even more power so I could make_

_The world what I wanted it to be._

_I wanted others with strong power to find the one_

_Who I hated so greatly…but it seems not to be._

_But even so, I will continue to make my dream reality…_

_However…I failed to remember myself completely…_

_I failed to remember of where I truly am in this world,_

_Even as I try my best to change it for the one I lost long ago._

_I only wished for that person to return…_

_To be continued... _

* * *

Reprise: took a while I know and I hope it's becoming clearer…if not I'll just revise it a bit. I'm hoping to wrap this up soon and it's become very clear to me that I've crossed two of my own original works with CCS…funny huh? So much fun though lol….funny that I ended once again with Neo and Jubilee's situation XD…and once again, this became a long chapter lol

Please R&R and I'll get working on the next chapter…tell your friends about it!!


	8. Dream Weaver

Reprise: Wooooo! Next chapter! Alright…I'm tired…okay, let's get on with it. It's almost over…hope you enjoy and please remember to R&R…would make me feel good inside…yay!

Oh side note: I went back and edited a few things, not a lot really cause I saw there were some mistakes and stuff and being the perfectionist that I not just leave them there…

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not own CCS…sigh

Claimer: I own DC…and all of the monsters and twisted…ness here…wooo!

* * *

**Lies**

**Chapter 7:**

"**Dream Weaver"**

_I can hear the wind as it blows_

_Whispering secrets no one else knows._

_In my house that is now twisted and bleak_

_Tells of things I dare not speak._

_I'll take the world in my hands,_

_Cover it with webs and darken the lands._

_For it is a dream that I alone make._

_Full of things I'll give and take._

_And from my dream shines a light._

_With promises to end my plight._

_And though I try hard to reach,_

_I have not learned what they tried to teach…_

_Footsteps echoed in the empty house as a man walked forlornly through the rooms. He sighed here and there, somewhat wanting to clean up the house but knew that it would be pointless. He was about to leave the house that he had lived in for years behind him but noticed something small lying in the backyard. It was directly below his daughter's bedroom window and he slowly approached it. Looking down he saw a small doll that was slightly cracked in some places. It had obviously fallen out the window and he felt slightly sick in the pit of his stomach. Slowly he picked up the doll and brought it inside the house. At first he considered bringing it with him but he doubted that he'd be okay if he carried it with him. Simply holding it in his hands made him sick and he quickly ran through the house, trying to find a place to put the doll. At first, he was going to bring it back into his daughter's old room but to enter that place would make him even sicker. However, he felt that he deserved such sickness as he struggled towards it. He lowered his head, unable to look at the room and as he did, he noticed something. It was a place in the house in which he would never see the doll again…_

_Upon leaving the house, he noticed that many others in the small town were also leaving with the intention of never returning, much like himself. As he turned to his car, he saw a woman standing across the road looking at him._

"_What do you want, Miss LaBlain?" he asked without looking at her._

"_Nothing…I'm simply looking at a broken man as he leaves the center of all his remorse," she replied with a soft voice._

"_Why are you talking to me with such a voice?"_

"_I cannot bring myself…to yell…for I feel just as guilty."_

_The man looked at her for only a minute before turning back to his car. The woman watched the man drive off into the distance, the wind blowing calmly and the sky above gray and weary. She stood alone as all other people in the small town left for good, never to return to the place where all their regrets remain…_

"I wondered…if leaving would solve anything…if not facing some sort of punishment would make me feel better. It seems that now my long due punishment is coming and I don't think…I want to run anymore."

Touya, Yukito and Mirror tended to the man's injured shoulder as he told the story of how he lost his whole world…and created something full of vengeance and hate. He looked down and put his head in his palm sadly, full of so much remorse that he felt as if he'd burst…if not from the remorse then from Loli herself.

Moments before, beads of light had shot passed them and entered the portal with Erowen. They were half of the Images which, despite the risk of being weakened, returned to their own world. The other half of the Images hovered above the group of four and they had realized that they had stayed back to protect Tomoeda.

"Why did they go back? They won't be able to help if they're weak?" asked Yukito.

The Images floated down and their mirrors appeared from within the flat gems that fashioned the frames. One of the mirrors labeled Umbra rested on the floor and a tall woman dressed in black rose up from inside. She was pale but delicate and had long straight black hair that went down her back. Her dress was elegant and had a wide collar that fitted around her shoulders. The sleeves were long and partially covered her hands and silver designs went all along the dress from the waist down. The first layer of the dress went only mid-way, cutting short, splitting down the middle, and revealing another solid black layer underneath. A black shawl was worn on her head along with a silver headpiece underneath. She looked at the group with deep blue eyes that were gentle though dark and smiled sweetly.

"W-Who..."

"_I am Umbra of the dark and shadow,_" she said in a soft voice that echoed, "_I am one of few Images that can speak English without the assistance of Whisper, the Image of voices. She will create fake voices for us at times._"

"You're mouth doesn't even move when you speak," noted Touya.

"_We haven't really mastered how to speak and move our mouths and the same time. The human language is very different from our own. We may be able to understand you but we cannot speak the language on our own. Ours is more made up of sounds and pitches rather then true words._"

"I see," said Yukito, "You're very interesting creatures."

Umbra smiled at him as if to say thank you and she directed her attention to the portal.

"_There is something that has changed in our world. It may support us, at least a little,_" she said, "_Someone is dreaming inside…and that person is strong enough to count as a whole town of people dreaming. Besides…_"

Umbra's smile widened as she looked at Mirror, trying to hint to her something that she hadn't noticed before. Her hands made a square or rectangle shape and Mirror's eyes widened with the sudden realization.

"_Besides…_,"she started again, "_The world has already turned into some dream…_"

"DREAM…" whispered Mirror.

The man stared at the portal before standing up…

* * *

Cutting through the sky like a pair of sharp knives, both Neo and Jubilee raced towards the castle in downtown Heylind as it continued to warp in various colors. However, their return from inside the mirror did not go unnoticed as clusters of creatures came shooting up from down below to try and stop the two. From in the inside pocket of his coat, Neo whipped out a golden handle, which with a flick of his wrist and a tightening of his grip, transformed into a sword that glistened with magic. Neo sliced through the opposing creatures with ease and pushed on with determination. Jubilee dodged each creature, unsure if her ribbons would be enough to help her. It had become obvious that since they could fly that they could use any of their kingdom power within them to fight. The time they stayed within the mirror may have helped in recharging their powers and for that they were at least somewhat grateful.

As Jubilee flew through the bleak sky, the wind playfully tossed the crescent moon pendent that hung around her neck. It was then that she, for the first time in a while, heard the pendent ringing like some beautiful and ethereal bell. It was a fact that the crescent moon staff in its pendent form could do many things such as take the form of any key to open any locked door. But, one other thing that it was able to do was ring a beautiful and elegant ring like a bell that would call the Images to her. Ever since the magic of the Images was weakened, the sound had stopped no matter how hard she tried. But now hearing it once again gave Jubilee hope and upon looking at it as it waved in the breeze, she noticed that it's original and magical shine was back as well.

"Neo!" she shouted, "The pendent is back to normal! Do you think…?"

"Let's try it out…"

Neo pulled the sword to him, pointing it in the air and the symbol that was carved into the blade began to glow a bright blue. The blade radiated with electricity and Neo held it high before whipping it forward, sending a powerful bolt of lightning at three creatures, causing them to fry and partially disintegrate. Other monsters that were approaching became hesitant and after a moment of thinking, turned back. Jubilee smiled and took a hold of the pendent from around her neck. She then threw it in front of her and suddenly quickened her pace, catching it again in mid-air as she passed. A golden light appeared from in her hand, shining through her fingers and the gold chain that the pendent hung so delicately on straightened and grew into the handle of the staff. Below them, herds of monsters scattered about in fear of their returning power. Neo and Jubilee flew next to each other and as Neo's sword sparked with electricity, the sphere that hovered in the space of the crescent moon top moved, creating a large pace in the middle. Two lines of light shot out from different sides of the sphere and connected to the points of the crescent moon. The space then filled with a golden light and Neo placed the sword through the space, intensifying the electricity. They then swung the sword and staff to their sides in opposite directions, flinging a large bolt of lightning at the monsters below. The creatures screeched in defeat as the two flew on, feeling just like they used to.

"I wonder what happened to strengthen the Image's power," said Neo.

"I think…," began Jubilee, "it's because Loli is living in her dream…and so are we..."

* * *

A large creaking noise emitted form the front door and all except Syaoran backed away from it. He was reluctant to back away and glared as the door's surface began to wave and swirl like water, warping in matter and color. A worn out look of determination was apparent on his face and refused to stop slamming into the door. After a few more tries, he rested his head against the door, his fist firmly next to him as he panted heavily. Waylou walked a few steps towards him only to stop and stare at the door with suspicion. From on her shoulder, Mom jumped onto Syaoran's shoulder and pressed her paws against his cheek.

"That's it! There's no way inside! Game over man!" she cried dramatically.

"There must be some way in," Eriol whispered.

"I hope Sakura is okay."

As the others worried, only Waylou remained still and quiet as she stared at the strange door, watching it twist and wave around. She took note of how the minerals in the door had become unstable, explaining why it no longer had a definite color or surface as it once did. They were constantly changing on their own, without any disruptions or guidance from any outside influences.

Her attention then shifted from the door to something coming from behind. She slightly turned her head and looked behind her, a smile suddenly appearing on her face. There, coming from in the distance, was something familiar was approaching fast. It became clear that they were the Images, returning in full power to their world. Although she knew of how they had become weak, she decided to not wonder about it. Her smirk grew and she suddenly twirled around as the small group came shooting towards them. Swiftly, she grabbed one from in mid-air and upon spinning back around, she opened the gem's mirror and let out a flood of water at the warped door. Syaoran ducked his head as the water pounded into the door. He was still leaning against it with Momo clinging to his shoulder for cover. The water then ceased, disappearing into the door, causing it to shake like jelly and take on a bluish color. Looking up, Syaoran had little time to move away from the door before being sucked up into it. The others ran to the door but were hesitant to touch it, fearing of being sucked up too.

Syaoran felt the pressure of the water pushing against him as he tried to remain on his feet. Mom buried herself in the collar of his shirt as she tried to keep from being washed away. Each time Syaoran felt as though he'd pass out, he would see a pink light ahead of him and what he thought was Sakura's voice. It was what kept him going and if he had stopped for only a moment to think about his situation, he would realize that he was able to breath within what he knew as water. It was thick and strong like a riptide but his worry for Sakura was as equally strong.

Outside, Waylou let go of the Image and it ascended back into the sky, joining the others above. Putting her hands on her hips, she snickered happily, obviously satisfied with herself. The others, however, were unsure as to what could possible be so great after seeing Syaoran and Momo disappear into the liquid door.

"Knew that would happen," she said confidently, letting go of the mirror as it ascended into the sky with the other Images.

"What did you do?" questioned Cerberus as he returned to his false form.

"The materials in the door were rearranging and would continue to do so until something came and set it into place," she explained, "So I interfered by shooting water at it, thus causing it to take on the same chemical properties of water. This way…we can just pass right through the door."

Upon hearing of what had happened to Syaoran and Momo, the others became less tense. Looking up into the sky, they noticed the other Images hovering above, suddenly taking notice of their behavior. They were no longer lethargic and seemed to be back in full power. From in Leslie's arms, a bright white light appeared and upon looking down she saw that the once weak Keyo she had been carrying was warm. The color had returned to his coat and upon opening his eyes, the dullness had vanished and they began to glow bright green. Suddenly, he shot up into the sky in the form of a white light and loomed over the group. His power had also returned and he was now healthy once again, floating freely in his original form that was nothing more than a white light, somewhat taking the shape of a large cat crossed with a wolf. His green eyes still remained as elegant looking gems that peered down below before returning to them. As he flew back down, his large and bright form shrunk back into that of the small winged cat that they had first seen and known.

"Keyo…you're all better!" exclaimed Leslie happily.

"I feel great!" Keyo said as he stretched, "I feel just like I used to!"

"But…how?"

They looked up at the Images as they swirled in and out the cotton candy colored clouds above. Taking notice of their surroundings, they began to see that the world wasn't the same. The branches of the trees all around were beginning to move around like fingers on a hand and the buildings in the kingdom were changing in appearance, becoming wilder by the minute. The sky faded in out from a bleak gray to a purple as if the world was unsure of what to choose. Other pieces of the world were acting just as the door had, unstable and ever changing in appearance and materials.

"What's going on?"

"This is dream energy," said Keyo, "That must be why our power returned…"

So the world…is being swallowed by a dream?" asked Tomoyo.

"Not just any dream…" began Keyo as he continued to survey their surroundings, "A rotting dream…a dream that is so believed in that it hurts the dreamer to the core. It has its sweet qualities like any dream from a small child but it still retains its nightmarish twisted feel. The power Loli had taken from Neo and Jubilee along with what she already possessed is just making it worse. Only until the person dreaming it comes to accepting the fact that it can't come true will it stop."

* * *

Within the darkness they seemed to float as if suspended in black water that could not drown them. Both Adam and Erowen were asleep, weakened by the black shadows that swallowed them. But its attempts to smother them failed and Erowen began to regain consciousness with their sea of ink. She had felt cold at first and thought she was alone in the void. But, she saw Adam beside her and suddenly felt a spark flicker within her. Adam's eyes fluttered open and he looked to see Erowen with him. The cold that wrapped him quickly dissolved as his inner furnace ignited. The warmth brought them strength as they could feel the power inside grow little by little….

* * *

There was silence in the room, only the sounds of small whimpers and the beating growth that had swallowed Adam and Erowen were audible. Loli remained besides Sakura, holding her as best she could, despite being so much smaller then her. She went up to Sakura's hips and could only wrap her arms around her legs. Despite this, Loli was content in their silence, seeing it as her reunion with Molly. To Loli, Sakura did not exist.

"Sweet bliss…" she said, "Death is as reversible as life itself is possible…life for anything, even to that which was never born alive. This dream…was meant to be…"

Loli was unaware of what was happening around her and that all she had considered a dream destined to come true was decaying. She merely stayed with Sakura, lost in her embrace and even within her power. She did not even notice the front door, which had become like water, moving around and rippling. Suddenly, the water began to shake more and out from inside it fell Syaoran. He fell hard against the white marble floor and struggled to get up, obviously still hurting from a few aches and bruises. However, upon raising his head he saw Sakura in the middle of the room and he immediately ignored the pain in his body. He moved onto his knees, still having a slight hard time getting completely up. Sakura had her back to him and he was unable to see that she was still caught in some kind of trance.

"Sakura!"

He yelled to her but she did not respond and just as he was about to yell again, he noticed the DREAM card stuck to her back. It was glowing a golden yellow and small sparks of purple and pink surrounded it. He had to time, unfortunately, to figure out what was happening. Loli peered at him, still holding Sakura possessively and Syaoran had not noticed her before. Her eyes were full of rage and hate and she let go of Sakura, putting her hands at her side; balled up in two tight fists.

"GET AWAY!" she shouted with wrath as her hair flared up.

The ground began to shake and spikes shot out from in the walls behind Syaoran. He swiftly dodged them, avoiding being impaled as he tried to get to Sakura. Loli's eyes widened as she saw Syaoran coming towards her and her rage pushed her to exert more energy to try and hit him with something. However, she was blinded by her wrath and failed to see Syaoran make a swift move as he ran towards Loli only to suddenly jump to the side. The large spike that was charging down from in the floor came to Loli instead and her face filled with horror at the sight. Syaoran grabbed a hold of Sakura as the raised piece of earth smashed into Loli, knocking her somewhere unseen. The children that were lining the walls of the room all ran away in fear, heading through a hole in the wall that had been caused by the spikes. Syaoran tried to shake Sakura awake and out from in her trance but her eyes still held the same dullness as before and it seemed that his cries went unheard. The others finally passed through the watery door and ran to Sakura's side but even their cries could not bring her back…

Only Rue stayed back, looking at everyone from far behind. Her eyes caught sight of the masses of shadows in the back of the room and she knew of the ones who were trapped inside. However, Rue felt something from inside it and grew curious. She took out a flat circular glass disc, similar to a monocle that was inside a two entwined diamond shaped frames. She looked through it and saw the children's strong power throbbing inside before it suddenly swept away like a candle was blown out. It was then that her worry for them then disappeared. She watched as the two masses of shadows began to fall apart and as it started to melt off from on the wall, Rue could see a large hole behind them. The two children had disappeared, proof that their strong powers could not be snuffed out nor cut off completely.

As Sakura lay on the ground, caught in a strange trance, the DREAM card stayed stuck to her back, flickering with magic like a sparkler. Syaoran had seen the card stuck to her but had forgotten about it due to his worry for Sakura.

Although Loli had been sent away, hit by her own attack, the dream she had conjured from ill wishes still thrived.

* * *

Bolts of lightning flashed through the sky as Neo and Jubilee flew, finally hovering over the castle. However, Jubilee did not stop and was about to continue forward until Neo stopped her, grabbing her with one of his nine chains. He reeled her back to him like a fish, despite her struggles.

"Where are you going?"

"I have somewhere else to go! You stay here and help the others!"

Jubilee attempted to fly off again but was pulled back by Neo once more. She was being vague and it made no sense to him as to where else she needed to be.

"Where?"

"Just trust me…you help the others here…and I'll help them in another way."

Each time Jubilee tried to fly off, Neo grabbed a hold of her arm and stopped her. Through her eyes, she pleaded for him to not worry and to let her go. Although he wasn't sure as to why or where she'd fly off to he trusted that there was a good reason. It seemed that she had heard other things while in the mirror…things that he hadn't heard and it was actually quite common. It was that fact that led him to believe that wherever she was going to go was an important place that would, just as she said, help the others in another way.

"Be careful," he said, "You're pretty risky you know."

"So are you."

With that said, Neo released her from him grip and watched her fly off towards the other side of Heylind. He then floated down below where masses of different creatures were forming. They were scratching at the outside walls of the castle and the watery door was beginning to melt away just as other things in the world around them were. It was a clear sign that the dream that had swallowed them was slowly decaying with each moment that Loli refused to accept its impossibility. Neo raised his sword and smirked as it sparked with electricity and wasted no time in fighting. It was something he had been looking forward to for a while.

* * *

The further she flew the less buildings she saw and it wasn't long until she saw nothing but countryside. Old buildings dotted the valleys outside of the kingdom and up ahead, a small hill came into view. On the hill was a small house, worn out from age but was better kept compared to the other houses. Jubilee landed at the bottom of the small hill and stared at the house that quietly sat at the top. It stood forlornly atop the hill, the lands drenched in sorrow and silence. Jubilee stared at it for a few moments before seeing something shadowy move beside it. Before she could run up the hill, she heard something coming from behind.

"Who are you child?"

Jubilee turned around to see a woman with long disheveled hair that was slightly gray or a dull worn out brown color. Her face was pale and her dress was in layers, all worn and tattered. It seemed that she was the only one who remained in the small and abandoned town that was once located outside of Heylind. For a long time, Jubilee had only known of the village called Hillet. It was a small village located on the opposite side of Heylind far in the valleys and near a forest, dubbed the Emerald Forest. She had never heard about this small town before and had never seen it located on any map. The woman approached Jubilee, only taking a few steps forward and awaiting an answer.

"I'm Jubilee….from Heylind…"

"You flew…like a bird…"

The woman tilted her head curiously and upon Jubilee taking a few steps towards her, the woman backed away.

"Who are you? Are you the only one living here?"

"My name is Morgan LaBlain. And yes…I stayed behind to dwell in this…place."

"Do you want to leave this place? You don't have to live here."

Morgan shook her head and turned away, proofing that she stayed despite her own wishes. She was the only one who had accepting blame for Molly's death and therefore stayed as her own punishment. For years she had expected something and even when Loli had come out to wreak her vengeance, Morgan was spared to her disappointment. It would have relieved her if she had been taken by Loli's wrath but it was not to be. Jubilee, seeing that Morgan did not wish for anyone's help, turned back towards the house and began to tread up the hill. However, Morgan became paranoid as she turned to see Jubilee heading for the house.

"Don't go!" she cried, reaching out her hand, "Don't go…inside that twisted place."

"I have to."

Jubilee turned back and continued towards the house, leaving Morgan LaBlain to fall to her knees and watch from afar.

Upon reaching the top, Jubilee looked around but did not see the mysterious shadow that had been lurking about. She approached the front door, a bit hesitant to go inside despite knowing she had to. The words from others that she recalled hearing caused her to be cautious.

"_I hated that place…that house. I twisted it so many times and yet…it never changed to me. It never…ever changed."_

Jubilee wondered what Loli had meant by "I twisted it so many times." Loli had power before she had taken some from her and Neo and she had been twisting the world in different ways. She wondered if it was the same for the house.

"_Go ahead, puppet_," she heard a voice echo from behind her.

Jubilee quickly spun around to find the mysterious four-eyed creature behind her. It had been the shadow she had seen moving about before and it was very sly in hiding. It seemed to have fun.

"Why are you here again?" she asked with suspicion.

"_I'm sorry. I never introduced myself, did I?_" it said in its eerie voice, "_I assure you, I'm not bad…but then again I'm not so good either._"

The creature laughed as it slithered around, appearing and disappearing from behind Jubilee.

"Then what are you?"

"_I'm rather neutral. I enjoy watching things in the world unfold…although there are things that come and try and change everything for their own benefit…such as Loli,_" it said, "_Pretty hard to change fate now, isn't it? Especially those things that are set deep in stone…those things can never be changed."_

A glint of contentment flickered in its red orbs as it stared at Jubilee, seeing the cautiousness in her face. Jubilee tried to ignore the creature, turning away and heading for the door.

"_Be careful puppet. It may look normal on the outside…but on the inside, Loli's hate made it much more,_" warned the creature.

Jubilee took a deep breath and opened the door and upon walking inside she saw what seemed to be a never ending maze. There were many hallways, rooms and stairs going in all directions. She now understood what Loli had meant by twisting the house.

"She did this with her power?" she whispered.

"_Well…sort of_," said the creature, "_You see, when something bad happens in a house or any other building….those terrible feelings are left behind to linger within it…_"

Jubilee walked on, looking at the piles of debris and decaying walls. Black growths, similar to vines or weeds were stretched out across the walls, ceilings and even floors. It resembled to her some sort of sickness that had spread throughout the entire house. As she walked through the rooms, she saw a bluish-white glow coming from ahead. There was something similar to a mist lingering about and as she approached it, it seemed to retreat from her sight. Jubilee ran to the room where it had been and saw the mist was everywhere. However, upon looking closer at it, she realized that the black growth that was spread across the room was fading away at the touch of the bluish-white mist. Though at first the mist seemed to fear Jubilee it soon rushed to her, swarming around her in a friendly manner. Floating within the mist were letters, numbers and signs both numerical and ancient.

"What is this?"

"_Unknown_."

"You don't know what it is?!"

"_No, that's what it's called… Unknown,_" the creature said, _"As I said before…the feelings of pain and misery linger within a house where something terrible had happened. If it stays…then it could manifest into something unearthly…like a ghost or even poltergeist. However, Unknown will come to clean up the feelings to ensure that it never manifests. It is everything…and anything. It came to clean up the feelings in this house but could not erase Loli's…so instead it decided to stay and help Loli in getting what she wished for…all in order to finish its job._"

A thought then occurred to Jubilee. She recalled the voice that she had heard in the mirror.

"_And the world will fall into another dream, more absurd then the previous one._ _Although we wished Loli good luck in her desires…we only did it so those feelings of hate and misery could finally be erased for good. Would that make you hate us…that of unknown?"_

"It was this that had spoken to me before…"

"_That is possible…_"

Jubilee looked at the mist around her affectionately. She gently pet a letter A as it hovered before her. She knew that this mist, Unknown, had not intended for things to get so out of hand. It had merely given Loli some of its power in order to be more then just a broken doll…in order for her to rid herself of her own pain and allow it to no longer linger within the house she hated. However, it had gotten out of hand and Unknown had tried to find a way to stop it all but to no avail and thus it returned to the house. Jubilee walked through the halls of the house until coming to a certain set of stairs. She at first stared up at them, thoughts racing in her mind.

"Unknown had given her power…in order for her to be more then just a doll…" she whispered to herself, "It that's so…then what we've been fighting…"

Jubilee ran up the stairs and was followed by the creature as it swirled down the hallways. She ran through door to door and down hall after hall and felt as if she were caught in a labyrinth she could never escape from. But at the same time, she thought that she was close to what she was looking for.

"_This way puppet_," the creature's voice echoed.

Jubilee turned to see the creature's shadowy form spiral down another hallway to her left and she wasted no time in following. As Jubilee ran, her foot fell through the worn out floorboards and was stuck in a hole.

"_So close puppet…_" the creature said.

"You better be helping me…thing!" she shouted at it.

"_Of course…as I've said before, I am neutral but even so, I favor the good in the world,_" it said with satisfaction, "_I am neutral…described by some to be the mysteries of the mind for I have no true known origins or purpose to which I am fine with._"

"You are full of as much vanity as mystery!"

"_I will help you as best I can without truly interfering. I am…"_

"You are…" Jubilee whispered as she sat with her foot still stuck in the hole, her eyes staring into the creature's red orbs.

"_I am Enigma…"_

A pair of shadowy tattered wings extended from its spiky back. They were thin and its veins stuck out and were visible. Its rake-like claws grabbed a hold of the floorboards and were ripped away, freely Jubilee. As she stood up from on the ground and stared at the creature, its name now known as Enigma, she heard what sounded like a child crying coming from somewhere close by. Jubilee wasted no time and ran towards the sounds, Enigma following from far behind…

* * *

The world seemed to be covered in a light fog and was full of light and clouds. A pair of emerald green eyes fluttered open and scanned the surroundings. It was a pretty place, very tranquil and inviting.

Sakura looked around but could find no one although she heard the sounds of people calling her name now and then. They were faint voices but she recognized them to be her friends. She called out to them but their voices began to grow fainter until she could no longer hear them at all. At first, she grew scared and felt alone, close to tears. She had tried to remember hearing the words Syaoran would always tell her in these situations: to not cry. But it seemed to do little until…

"Don't cry…" came a voice from behind her.

Sakura turned around to see a young girl, around her age and similar appearance to her own. The girl's hair was auburn brown just like Sakura's but went down to the back of her neck in the back and slightly curled upward. Her eyes were just as green as her own and it was almost as if she was looking into a mirror.

"Who are you?"

"I am Molly."

The girl, Molly, smiled at Sakura.

"You're fine…you're just inside your mind…and so am I," said Molly, "I'm supposed to simply replace your mind but I don't want to."

"Loli…she really misses you."

At first, Molly remained quiet, a smile still on her face although there was a hint of sorrow in it.

"I miss her too but…I can't come back no matter how hard she wishes," she said sadly, "Her dream is only hurting her…and even me. I can't replace you…I can't ever breath in the world again. The dream must end now. And you have something that can do just that…"

Sakura looked at her curiously and Molly pointed to her side. Sakura looked over her shoulder and discovered the DREAM card stuck to her. Taking it in her hands, Sakura noticed its glow and sparks and remembered when it had floated into her hands when they were released from heir imprisonment before. The DREAM had been trying to get her attention ever since they entered the R-Area.

"What can DREAM do? It can only give people dreams," she said.

"But the world has turned into a dream…reality is no longer reality," explained Molly, "The dream has become reality…and reality and become a dream. When you close your eyes and try and sleep, what you see is a dream…but if you do that now, what you'll see is what should be. That card's power is switched in this world that is a dream…that card…"

"Will bring us to reality again because reality has become a dream…right?"

Molly nodded and smiled at Sakura to wish her luck.

"Loli must understand what is reality…she must accept it and leave her dream behind," said Molly, "I wish you luck…Sakura."

Molly then began to fade from Sakura's sight and she felt her eyes grow heavy. They suddenly closed and upon opening them once again, Sakura found herself surrounded by everyone who looked down at her with worry.

"Sakura! You're awake!" exclaimed Tomoyo.

"Are you alright?" asked Syaoran.

Sakura nodded her head as she sat up from on the ground. She felt around on her back and pulled out the DREAM card from behind her. It was still the same as she had seen it.

"This world's reality has become a dream…and the dream is now this world's reality…close your eyes to dream but you won't see your dreams…you'll see the real world," she repeated, "But this card…will reverse it."

At first the others did not understand what she had meant. But, when Keyo closed his eyes, what he saw was what the world once was…their reality. He understood that the dream had replaced their world and because it was one that can never come true, it was decaying around them. They had little time. From high above on the balcony, Adam and Erowen had found their way through a few rooms to make it back to the front. They were about to attempt to leave when suddenly the watery door that was quickly melting split in have and splattered against the floor. Neo walked into the room, sword in hand, obviously the cause for the door's destruction. While Everyone was surprised to see that he had escaped from in the mirror, the two children quickly hide from sight and snuck out from in the room. As they left, Neo got a suddenly chill but couldn't find the source and quickly waved it away. The children disappeared once again to ensure that no one would discover them.

The others questioned as to where Jubilee was and Neo merely said that she had flown somewhere else to find something. After being explained what needed to be done, Neo questioned Loli's presence. When Syaoran had told them that Loli had been hit by her own attack, the ground suddenly shook and they looked up to see Loli crawling out from a pile of rocks on the second floor. She glared at them below as the ground began to move from under their feet. The ground around them split off into a single section. They were suddenly sent up towards Loli, the ground smashing up through the second floor. Loli stood far on the other side, staring them down.

"Loli, you have to stop!" cried Sakura, "Molly told me herself…she can never come back!"

Loli's eyes were filled with a mixture of both pain and anger and her fists tightened. From below, Rue remained, staring up at the scene.

"It's true!" she cried, "The dead can never come back!"

"What would you know?" snapped Loli.

"I'm a grim reaper…I help those who are dead pass onto the other world…they can never come back! Your dream is decaying around you…it can't ever come true."

Loli lowered her head in defeat, obviously in pain. It seemed that she had come to terms with something she had been denying. Sakura held out the DREAM card in front of her, ready to release the card's power. However…

"If that is true…" Loli whispered with a trembling voice.

The ground shook as the Images came through the roof, which had turned into glass as it was changing. Sakura remained on her feet, determined to end the fight and bring back reality.

"If that is true…" repeated Loli, her voice getting louder.

The ground below Sakura suddenly shot up, causing her to throw the card away and to the side. The card shot passed the others and, before anyone could stop it, it entered inside an Image's mirror as it floated down.

"No!" shouted Sakura as she ran to the mirror.

She was about to put her hand inside in order to retrieve it but was pulled away by Neo. Keyo transported from his spot on the floor to next to Sakura.

"You can't put any part of your body in an Image's mirror, it's dangerous," he warned as he floated beside her.

"Then how…"

"Sakura," called Syaoran as he came running to her side, "Are you alright?"

Sakura nodded and the others backed away as Loli raised her head slightly.

"If that is true…then no one's dream can ever come true!" she screamed as shadows suddenly lined the walls.

It was the same black growth that had been inside her house and it quickly spread throughout not only the room but outside as well. The ground shook as creatures suddenly appeared in the ground and walls. There were the gray monsters and the shadowy china-faced ones. There teddy bears crawling out from cracks and in piles of rocks. They were ripped in places with their stuffing falling out but large smiles on their faces. Razor blades stuck out from inside them as they scurried about and Loli merely stood in her spot. From behind her, long thorny vines and barbed wires spiraled out from behind her as she began to take slow steps towards the group. The ground below them suddenly gave way from the monsters that were appearing they fell down below.

The world all around shook and the black sickness spread everywhere as the world that had been swallowed in a decaying dream now once again shifted with Loli's ever growing hate.

As Jubilee ran through the twisted house, feeling as though she was close to her destination, the ground below her shook. She lost her footing and fell backwards down a fleet of stairs. She watched as the black growth suddenly covered the windows and throbbed with life and she struggled to make it back up the stairs. The ground suddenly shook again and she was thrown forward. Jubilee fell into another hallway and upon looking up, she saw what looked like a bedroom door. Jubilee struggled to get up but couldn't and was forced to crawl on her hands and knees to the door. Inside, she coud hear the sounds of crying grow louder…

Touya, Yukito and Mirror felt the earth quake and saw the black growth push its way out from in the portal. Monsters of all kinds appeared from inside and began to attack and the three ran out from inside the warehouse. Yukito immediately transformed into Yue and took flight, shooting crystals from in his hand as Touya ran. He grabbed a lead pipe and beat monsters that came his way and the Images that had stayed behind helped him along. From afar, the sudden presence of the sickness had been noticed by both Nakuru and Spinal. The two wasted no time in going out to help in battle…

The world had become a twisted mess that was quickly flooding into Tomoeda. Sakura gazed at the Mirror that now held the DREAM card inside it and was baffled as to why it did not give it back. The ground continued to quake and Loli watched from high above as her nightmare spread unaware that someone familiar was approaching. Loli stayed within her hate and misery, wishing the world the same. If her dream could not come true, she didn't want anyone else's to. Loli had become lost in her abhorrence…and in her power…

_It is all I wish to live in._

_My dreams of hope and happiness._

_Yet reality had taken it away, even though_

_I had smothered and replaced it with my dream._

_What can never be should be…_

_But there cannot be happiness_

_In the dream I have weaved…_

_In the nightmare I release and now believe in._

_To be continued…_

_

* * *

_

Reprise: okay…yeah long chapter but I want this to be done and it's really close so, this chapter needed to be this long. I hope this isn't confusing…the whole switching of dream and reality. I tried to make it clear lol. I hope you enjoyed it and please R&R.


	9. Farewell

Reprise: first thing is first…yes my name has been changed. It will stay this way for good.

Now I'm sorry I haven't updated in a long time. I needed a break I suppose. Between computer troubles, stress and personal problems, things have been tiring. I'm hoping to renew my love of writing.

This story is winding down. Just like to say that if you read through the last…long chapter then you sure are loyal readers lol…it's almost like a test…anyway…

I'd like to thank **SnowCharms** for continually reviewing the story. You're really great and for everyone else who likes the story I'm really glad. I guess I haven't lost my touch after all lol. So please enjoy!

**Note**: Can't remember if I mentioned this before in one of the earlier chapters but a little fact: Keyo's name is actually pronounced **kAy-oo (A as in able)…not kEEy-o (e as in key although some younger characters in DC are noted to mispronounce).** It's spelled this way because originally it was going to be pronounced like key because he is the key to the box but I thought this pronunciation was cooler lol).

The song used is "Blowback" from Silent Hill Origins.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own CCS or the song used in it…

**Claimer**: I do own DC…no, not the capital…old people own that…yeah, that's right I said it…

* * *

**Lies**

**Chapter 8:**

"**Farewell"**

_I can finally hear the gentle wind_

_as it whispers such purity unto me._

_Out from within the dark that I had_

_endured for so long._

_I had succumbed to such nightmares_

_and believed my heart wished all others the same._

_But as the light dims and all imaginings fade,_

_what seems like tragedy still stands…_

Standing among the shadows that fell from all directions was Loli, watching her nightmare unfold. All that she had dreamed of, all that she had hoped for had fallen apart before her, leaving her to accept what she had denied for years. However, her acceptance did not stop her powers as everyone had hoped, bringing them out from in her dream. Instead, she became embittered by the truth and sent them back into her complete and twisted nightmares. It was even worse then the first time they had seen it after she had taken some of Neo and Jubilee's powers. But it seemed that what Keyo had said before was true as Loli's body began to decay from the power she had stolen. A black growth was slowly spreading across her arms and legs. It resembled veins and a texture similar to burnt tree bark but Loli did not seem to notice nor even care as it began to appear on her face. It was true that the power had grown unstable within her but it did not seem to stop any of her creations from thriving.

The Images scattered about, fighting off the monsters that attacked the others. However, the one Image which held the DREAM card remained quiet, its gem frosted over to hide its name. It would not respond as Sakura and Syaoran begged for it to release the card and even Keyo's yells did nothing. Neo attempted to shove Keyo inside the mirror to retrieve it, but he refused, standing on the grounds that entering an Image's mirror was dangerous for even him. From behind, a tall monster with blue skin appeared, twitching as it walked on its two twisted up legs. It resembled a woman with long black stringy hair. A large row of fangs stuck out from its face, most likely where its mouth would be and its hands were nothing but long jagged claws. Its eyes weren't visible under its hair but it was unknown if it even had eyes at all as it stumbled about, reaching out with its claws. Sakura grabbed the mirror and hugged it close to her as both Neo and Syaoran stepped in front of her and slashed the monster with their swords. It screamed in pain and fell on the ground, flailing wildly as china doll heads with spider-like tentacles crawled over it. The china doll creatures were merely heads supported by black sticky tentacles. Their mouths were in the shape of a perfect circle with their needle-like teeth spinning inside like a blender. Sakura ran to a safer spot in the room and Neo looked at Syaoran with a smile.

"Go stay by her," he said, "You have to protect the ones who care for."

"W-What?" Syaoran stuttered, a tint of pink appearing on his face.

"You think I can't tell? Now go."

Syaoran did not protest Neo's suspicions, accepting it and proving it validity. Without another word, Syaoran ran to Sakura's side, fighting off the monsters that came her way as she tightly held onto the mirror. It was because of this that prevented her from using any cards and protecting herself at the time. As Neo slashed another monster, Momo appeared on his shoulder.

"How were you able to tell how he feels about Sakura?" she asked, nudging him a bit with her paw.

"What? Stop it," he said, taking her in his hand, "Leslie!"

From on the other side of the room, Leslie turned to Neo and he suddenly threw Momo at her. Being a regular thing that everyone did, Momo merely cheered as she flew through the air and right into Leslie's hands. Leslie ran towards Eriol and Tomoyo as they tried to fend off approaching monsters. In the heat of battle, Tomoyo had dropped her camera and was unable to retrieve it. She stayed close to Eriol as he threw monsters away from them with his staff. Leslie, however, came to Tomoyo and pulled out a bunch of cameras from in her bag and gave one to her. She demonstrated her strategy by aiming the camera at a monster and taking its picture, blinding it with the flash.

"Leslie, do you ever not have those things with you?" asked Momo.

"Of course not. I'll just need them anyway," she replied as she dropped a few rolls of unused film on the ground.

Tomoyo smiled at the idea and the two continued to blind the creatures, enabling Eriol to simply shoot them with a red beam from his sun staff. Although Tomoyo had always been known to carry a camera with her, it seemed that Leslie always had at least three or four different kinds of cameras with her. The two seemed to be very alike and had no problem in working together. At the sight of this, Neo merely sighed…he hadn't known that Tomoyo was a fan of photography too. It was an unknown fact to the others that Leslie was almost an eternally cheerful girl who's wide smile was sometimes almost scary to some just as her many cameras were. It gave him a chill down his back to think that there was someone just like her in another world. However, Tomoyo seemed to be calmer than Leslie and he was thankful for that.

The room had filled with disarray and at first, no one noticed a man in a brown trench coat with a hat enter the castle. He calmly walked to the middle of the room, his gaze stuck on Loli above who noticed him. Her eyes first showed no emotion but as she stared at him, they slowly filled with realization. He stopped in the middle of the room and things had suddenly fallen quiet.

"No more running," he said softly, "I'm here Loli…here and ready for what I truly deserve. I had lived on with regret and self-loathing…just waiting for the day something would end me. I had even tried to end myself but…it didn't feel right. So now…in the midst of your hate…I am here."

The creatures moaned and screeched but Loli said nothing as she continued to stare at him. The pause and silence was uncomfortable and in the man's eyes, it was evident that he was confident in his choice. He looked over to Sakura and smiled weakly as if he were smiling at Molly once again. It was his only way, at least in his mind, of saying he was sorry. The sounds of small child-like chuckles brought his attention back up to Loli, whose head was lowered and face was covered by her hair. Her head lifted slightly and a small smile was visible. It was then that she spoke, her voice filled with delight like that of a child.

"Okay."

The ground below his feet began to shake and crack, thorny vines and barbed wires shot up from within and took hold of him. Although he did not protest his long overdue punishment, it was natural for him to struggle against the wires that held him. He was then quickly brought up high to towards the ceiling and Loli gazed up with amusement. Vines and wires wrapped around his neck and a thick black goop began to leak from in the vines, rushing into his mouth like a river. He coughed as the black ink-like substance continued to be shoved down his throat and the wires and thorns dug into his body. The black liquid began to leak from his eyes, nose and ears, proving that he was being overstuffed with it. The wires moved his arms and legs around, twisting and bending them in different ways and the sounds of bones breaking echoed in the room. His limbs were then suddenly ripped apart one by one, all falling down below. A collection of wires impaled him through the stomach, twisting around until finally pulling him apart from the inside out. Down below the others took shelter at the sides of the room as the man's blood poured down from above.

Happily, Loli smiled peacefully, raising her arms in the air and slowly spinning around as blood rained down. She resembled a child playing in the rain, such innocence and bliss and yet it was full of such maliciousness that one could only see in her eyes. Loli slowly came to a stop, bringing her arms down slowly to her side and looking down below her. Her smile remained painted on her face and her eyes glinted with both satisfaction and joy. She had finally killed the one who had caused both her and Molly such misery and she only wished to do it over and over again. However, it did not stop her destruction as if she was satisfied and done. She slowed down to a stop and looked down at everyone who watched from below. They were frozen in disbelief and Loli's smile faded. Her hate-filled glare was once again present as she leaned forward and let out an ear-piercing scream. Every monster that still stood screamed as well and from the far sides of the room, the mirror that Sakura held onto tightly shook with irritation. Something worse then any of them was coming…

The monsters no longer noticed Sakura and Syaoran hidden in the shadows in a small space and it enabled them to hold down the mirror against a wall. They frantically knocked on the glass in an attempt to get whatever Image inside to give back the trapped card. With each tap the mirror shook irritably until the glass of the mirror dissolved, turning to a liquid form that allowed the Image to go both in and out of the mirror. Sakura and Syaoran stared at the mirror as what was once glass rippled like a small puddle. Curiosity overtook Sakura as she lightly touched the mirror with her index finger. The mirror's now liquid surface rippled at the touch and upon pulling her hand away she noticed it wasn't at all wet like real water. Although they had been warned to never in any way enter an Image's mirror it seemed that they had little choice. Sakura looked at the chaos around them and upon turning back to the mirror took a deep breath.

"Syaoran…" she said softly.

"Don't. We'll find another way," he argued.

"Don't worry….it'll be okay," Sakura reassured him with a smile.

Despite the smile and the softness of her voice, the idea still stayed with him in the form of a mistake. There was something that kept him from believing her words.

"No it won't…"

Despite his protests, Sakura's smile remained. The sudden scream from above grabbed their attention and before their eyes they saw the walls disappear under the growth. The floors were consumed as well and Loli remained at the top as something large began to form behind her. It was a twisted creature that was black as ink with stretched empty eye sockets and a mouth that seemed melted together as it opened its mouth wide and roared. Its right arm was a large blade while its left arm was a claw with three metal blades. It had no back legs and instead seemed to be missing the lower portion of its body as if it was ripped away, only revealing its bloody spine. It was a nightmare that stayed behind Loli as its voice crackled with an eerie cry. Things had escalated too far and Sakura, without anymore hesitation, quickly shoved her hand inside the mirror. Right on contact, the liquid pool immediately stiffened like glass once again and prevented Sakura from pulling her hand out from inside. Sakura could feel her hand burning inside the mirror and worked hard to stifle her screams. Syaoran immediately grabbed her around the waist in an attempt to pull her out but nothing he did could free her. As the ground continued to shake, Keyo managed to transport himself to Sakura and Syaoran to help with the difficult Image. However, upon appearing before them and seeing Sakura's hand stuck within the mirror, he became nervous.

"What did you do?! I told you not to try and enter the mirror!" he scolded with worry.

The piercing shrieks of the monsters nearby echoed and the mirror once again shook, seemingly irritated. This puzzled Keyo and he floated to the mirror and sat on top of its gem. The frost that was covering the gem seemed to slowly disappear and Keyo once again tried to clear it off. He pressed harder as he wiped the gem and found that it was finally coming off. Keyo was then able to see the Image's name but upon seeing it he froze with fear.

"Oh no…"

"What?! What is it?!" shouted Syaoran.

"This is…"

As the cries echoed one again and the mirror shook with irritation, Keyo had an idea. Looking up at Sakura who squirmed in pain, refusing to scream, Keyo gave a single order.

"Sakura, don't hold in your screams! Let them out! Scream real loud!" he said.

Sakura, unable to question him due to her pain, did as he said and released the screams she had held in. The screams were loud and caused the mirror to shake as the Image inside became irritated. The mirror's glass surface suddenly dissolved once again, returning to a liquid state and thus releasing Sakura's hand. She and Syaoran fell backwards as the mirror glowed and sparked aggressively. Keyo flew to their side and watched as the card suddenly shot out from inside the mirror, the Image within slowly rising out as well. It was a woman dressed all in blue with long black hair. Her head was tiled to the side and her body was slouched. Her eyes were closed and she had no mouth. Her hands were hidden beneath her long sleeves as her arms stayed at her sides.

"Husher…" whispered Keyo.

"What is it?" Sakura asked.

"Husher is a nightmare of silence, thought to be created by the deaf. She hates all sounds and is rather dangerous, being able to silence anyone and anything," Keyo answered softly, "She's thought to have been created in a different place in the mind that is hardly used."

The Image Husher stayed in place but the loud sounds that emitted from all around bothered her greatly. Her eyes began to open as a blue aura began to radiate around her body. As it grew stronger, a monster suddenly appeared from the sides. It had finally noticed their hiding spot after having heard Sakura's loud scream. It shrieked menacingly at them but was suddenly struck by Husher's aura as it took the shape of a black snake. The creature suddenly fell silent and became disoriented from the suddenly change. In its confusion, the monster tried fruitlessly to scream but nothing happened and from its frustration, it began clawing at its own face until finally collapsing. Husher stayed in place as its aura spread to the other lingering monsters. In a mass attack, Husher's aura silenced the remaining monsters in one sweep. Now that they had been reduced to silence, the monsters all fell from the same fate that the first one had. Despite Husher's power, the nightmarish creature that stood behind Loli remained. Husher, unable to get rid of the last creature's cries, closed her eyes and returned to her mirror. The mirror withdrew into the gem and floated out through a crack in the walls, escaping the irritating sounds.

From above, the DREAM card hovered out of reach. Something seemed to prevent it from returning to Sakura, most likely Loli's aura as well as the creature behind her. The DREAM card stayed in place and still glowed brightly among the decay and ruin. The black growth spread all around and began to bleed heavily. Her dream had become a nightmare for all to endure but something within her was beginning to quiver.

* * *

The sounds of a child's cry grew louder and Jubilee continued crawling up the stairs until finally making it to the top. The ground still trembled fiercely each time she tried to stand up and she feared falling back down the stairs again. Jubilee was forced to crawl down the hallway on her hands and knees just as she had up the stairs. As she turned the corner, Unknown appeared in front of her and hovered around. It floated quickly ahead before retuning as if it was trying to signal that something was ahead. Jubilee, trusting the mysterious entity, followed it slowly. She tried her best to crawl as the ground violently shook beneath her. As Jubilee turned the corner, she saw up a head that at the hallways end was a single door. It was the only door that was clear of the black growth and as Jubilee stared at it, Unknown rushed ahead and phased through the door. Jubilee could feel the presence of something inside…something lonely. Not wasting any time, Jubilee took her chances and quickly stood up. She ran swiftly down the hallway as the ground quaked under her feet. Jubilee kept her balance through the tremors until finally reaching the door. She tripped forward and grabbed hold of the door knob, supporting herself with it to keep from falling. Jubilee quickly turned the doorknob and opened the door, revealing a child's room. The color of the walls, sheets, pillows and curtains were faded from age. Jubilee slowly walked into the room and noticed that the quakes had died down upon entering. The bedroom was special…it was Molly's.

Jubilee looked around, trying to find what she was looking for but to no avail. It didn't seem to be there. Jubilee felt defeated as she stood in silence with her head down. She was certain that what she was searching for was in the room and was unsure where else it would be. It was then that she noticed a blue glow coming from a corner near a shelf. It was Unknown hovering on the ground. As Jubilee approached it, she noticed that something was there by the bottom of the shelf against the wall. Kneeling down, Unknown moved to reveal a deep hole in the ground. She looked at Unknown, which moved expectantly and turning back to the hole, Jubilee reached inside and felt around. At first there wasn't anything was dirt and rubble but then her fingers touched something else. Jubilee leaned forward and grabbed hold of the thing and without hesitation pulled it out. Jubilee had found what she had been looking for. Suddenly, something strange happened to the house. Jubilee began to hear a creaking noise coming from in the hallway. Something began to change.

Jubilee quickly flew out the window, holding the object tightly against her.

* * *

Loli stood in place and looked down at the others below. Behind her, the creature let out a deep roar as it jumped down from its place. It stared at the small group threateningly as it slowly dragged itself forward with its heavy claws. Neo, Sakura, Syaoran and Eriol all tried attacking the creature but nothing affected it. The creature seemed indestructible but as it attempted to swipe at them with its large right blade, something came over it. The creature suddenly became disturbed by something and without warning pierced itself with its own blade, killing itself. No one understood the reason behind the creature's actions as to what influenced it to destroy itself. They looked up to see Loli, still standing in place but with a shocked expression on her face. She seemed to have been stunned by something. Her eyes were wide and she appeared to be panting slightly. The black growth suddenly started to disintegrate as Loli slowly lowered her head in sadness. The fact that the creature had killed itself was not what shocked her but something else was to the blame. Her sheer distress had caused the creature to impale itself in the first place.

Something had come over Loli that caused everything to suddenly stop. It was a familiar feeling that surfaced from deep inside her. Her mind became flooded with fragments of memories that had been pushed away by her negative emotions. It then became clear to her…

_**Daylight  
Dark light  
Blinds me  
Am I fading in light?**_

_In the sunlight of her room, Molly smiled at Loli who sat in a small chair across from her. Molly pretended to pour Loli another cup of tea and placed a small cookie on a plate in front of her on the small table._

"_I love you Loli," said Molly._

_Though Loli was only a doll, Molly heard her say she loved her back. Molly smiled and took a bit out of a cookie, savoring the sweet taste._

"_Daddy helped me make them. Do you like them?" she asked happily, "Sometimes he's sad and not himself…I think he's still stuck in the past sometimes but he still cares."_

_Loli sat quietly on the chair, though the voice she was given cried out in protest._

"_No, no Loli…Daddy means well…he's just lost," Molly said sadly, "I'll be okay…don't worry."_

_Despite Molly's words, Loli doubted them and felt almost lied to. Why did she need to lie? Loli questioned Molly on her lie that she was okay, that her dad still loved her and that there was no need to worry. Loli's voice crackled with anger and pain at the lie. Behind Molly was her desk with a large mirror and as Loli argued, she could see her reflection. It was a disgusting thing for her to see but as she yelled she could see it change. She could see herself as a person sitting in that chair just like she wanted. _

_**I can see through the fear, nice try  
Just a matter of time, it's another lie  
When the fire turns cold, who's here?  
It sure looks like it's me**__**…**_

"_Loli, I'm not lying! Why are you so angry with me?" Molly said, "I'm not lying…I love you…you're my only friend."_

_Loli's voice eased in tone but was still upset. Loli wanted to know why Molly didn't help herself and why she put up with the abuse she seems to deny. Loli's disgust in herself shaped her ideal self in her reflection of that of a real person capable of intervening. It was all Loli wanted if not more. If Loli couldn't help Molly, the least she could do was help Molly help herself. _

The black growth on Loli's body slowly thickened and spread as she stood in place, her head hanging low and in deep thought. The memories of her own anger were more than she had believed. Everything she understood and knew as truth was fractured.

_Loli sat quietly in the chair as Molly repeated her words as truth. But as she sat in her chair, Molly's words matched Loli's as she continued to yell._

"_Why do you put up with it? Don't lie, you're not fine and that man is awful," Molly yelled, "If he's lost then you should bring him back yourself because I can't for you!"_

_Molly leaned forward sadly and hung her head with shame._

"_I don't know how, Loli…I'm afraid to try but I know I'll be fine," said Molly._

_**Closer to the source of my pain  
Mirror yours**_

_Molly once again protested her own denial as if she were Loli speaking. Loli sat quietly in her chair as Molly argued with herself. In the reflection of the mirror was Loli's human form but it slowly began to fade into that of Molly's face who was now staring at the mirror._

"_You're my only friend…even if I have to give you a voice to talk to you," Molly said quietly as she stared at her reflection._

_**Oh, I**__**'m not myself  
My God, what have you done?  
Oh, the memories of them keep coming home…**_

"_Loli, promise me…" Molly began as she turned back to Loli and kneeled down in front of her, 'Promise me you won't be angry no matter what happens. I won't let myself be angry cause it hurts to be angry. Like it hurts to be scared…when you're in pain you get scared and when you're scared you become angry. It all hurts the same."_

_Molly picked Loli up and hugged her tightly._

"_Don't be angry…promise…I don't want you to have to hurt…no matter what."_

The pieces of memories soon faded from Loli as she slowly fell to her knees. Her anger had been from Molly all along. Molly was unable to deal with her inner pain and anger from her abuse and thus made Loli that angry voice of reason. Molly didn't like her anger and tried to keep in locked inside and it only caused her more grief. Her only wish was to keep her only friend from feeling the same pain but in the end, Loli had forgotten that promise.

**_And the nightmares are good, so good  
Will I ever wake up?  
Am I here right now?  
Was the question too hard?  
Dad was right  
He said nightmares are good_**

**_Mommy, Am I dead now?  
Tell me  
Why do we...?_**

"How could I…have forgotten?" Loli whispered to herself, "And all that I did…would only make her ashamed of me. I used Unknown to create this form…I manipulated the people of the kingdom…I searched for those kids so they could find him for me…I stole power from the prince and princess…I used it to twist the world in delusion…I broke my promise…I was angry."

The scene became quiet and still as Loli sat in her remorse, full of disgrace and loneliness. From down below, the group noticed her sudden in change and felt unsure if she was faking or not. But only Sakura could feel Loli's pain and saw it as truth.

"Loli…"

The stone platform that Loli sat on lowered to the ground below and disappeared from beneath her. She was now on the same level as the others but paid no attention to them. From above, the DREAM card was finally able to float down to Sakura. Holding it in her hand, Sakura stared at the card and then back at Loli with pity. She didn't have the heart to attack Loli or use the card now that she had become a broken version of her former self. Sakura took a few steps forward towards Loli and looked at the card and then back at her.

"I'm sorry Loli," she said.

Loli's head slowly lifted up and she stared at Sakura with confusion.

"Sorry?"

"It's okay…Molly doesn't hate you for what you did. But now that you know, you can fix it."

"But…what will I do now?" asked Loli.

The room was silent as the ground shook. Loli's confused expression turned into a painful one as she demanded an answer from Sakura. She had been set on achieving her goal of regaining Molly back and creating a happy world for them both only to find that it can never happen. With that dream destroyed, she had no where to go.

"Don't leave me too! Come stay with me here!" Loli cried as she reached her hand out towards Sakura.

"I'm sorry…I…"

Knowing of Sakura's rejection, Loli's pain swelled inside her, causing the ground to shake more with her frustration. Loli leaned forward with her hand still trying to reach Sakura. Her fingers bent forward and towards her palm, signaling her desperation and for the first time, Loli felt real tears stream down her face. They were cold as they rolled down her cheeks and it only caused more to fall.

"Please!"

As Sakura stood with uncertainty, her heart felt tight. It was heartbreaking to see someone, real or not, in so much pain. But, she didn't know what else to say to her. Instead, Sakura approached Loli and kneeled down before her. Gently, Sakura pulled Loli close to her and hugged her caringly. The ground no longer shook and Loli lowered her hand as she rested her head against Sakura's shoulder.

"Molly…."

The wind banged against a high window and forced it open. From on the outside, Jubilee finally emerged and flew down to the ground below.

"Jubilee! You're here!" Leslie said happily.

"Are you okay?" asked Neo.

Jubilee turned to them and nodded with a smile. She was quiet as she turned back to Loli and Sakura and approached them. Sakura turned and looked at Jubilee with relief.

"Loli" Jubilee calmly said.

Loli raised her head up and saw Jubilee standing in front of her. Jubilee's arms were wrapped in front of her, holding onto to something small. Loli's eyes widened as she slowly rose from on the ground. Jubilee then held up a small doll from in her arms…Loli.

"You've actually been all alone in that house…in a small hole. That was the dark place…right?" asked Jubilee.

Loli nodded as she slowly reached out and took her doll self from in Jubilee's hands. Loli stared at the doll for a few moments. She looked back at the fun times she had with Molly and realized that they had fun even if Loli was just a doll. She didn't need to be a real person in order to be Molly's friend and Loli, no longer disgusted in her true self, gently held her doll form.

Sakura and Jubilee backed away from Loli and Leslie and Neo ran up to Jubilee, relieved that she was okay. Syaoran ran to Sakura with relief as well with Tomoyo and Eriol there at her side.

"You can use the card now, Sakura," said Eriol.

"But…what will happen to Loli?"

"It's okay," said Loli as she held her doll self, "Return reality in its place…I promise…I'll be okay no matter what."

Loli gave them a gentle smile and reassured them that she wasn't afraid of what would become of her. She had accepted that Molly was gone and decided to continue existing for her own sake, whether it be as a doll or as a person: either way, Molly loved her. Sakura smiled and threw the DREAM card in the air as she raised her star wand. From in the card, a bright light emerged and a pink colored wind spiraled around them. A thin sheet of glass suddenly appeared between them and they realized that Sakura and her friends would be returned their own reality while Jubilee and the other returned to theirs'. Without being able to say good-bye, the light grew in strength and in a flash everything turned white.

In the nothingness, Loli sat holding her doll self as she slowly disappeared.

_And in peace I find my truth._

_I find my purpose and all promises left behind._

_I accept myself and all things real._

_My dream can be my reality if I am willing._

_And to those I pulled into my sadness_

_I bid them farewell…_

_To be continued…_

* * *

Reprise: finally I'm done with this chapter. There's only one more small chapter left before the story is done. I hope you all enjoyed it and are happy about my return. Please R&R

Btw...I noticed some grammer mistakes in some of the other chapters. It bothered me so I planned on fixing them. Howeevr, I can't seem to find any of those chapters on the computer or the disc I had them on. So for now, those mistakes are there to stay...


	10. Justified

Reprise: Okay, this is the final chapter of the story. I hope the end justifies the story (I always worry my endings don't). I thank all who have read and enjoyed the story.

I am considering making a sequel but haven't decided yet. But if I do, I'll tell you this now: it won't be a direct sequel to this story in which any problems from this story return (such as Loli).

Be sure to read the bottom notes to see some fun facts I thought you may find interesting.

Disclaimer: I do not own CCS

Claimer: I own DC

* * *

**Lies**

**Chapter 9:**

"**Justified"**

_And she was a lonely thing,_

_not held for decades._

_Negativity seeped inside_

_and rotted her core._

_Her dreams corrupted,_

_her heart lost in time._

_The sweet world from before_

_unable to again be obtained._

_To be left alone in anger's filth_

_is a fate unjustified…_

There was nothingness as snow-like lights gently fell from above. It was the place in between dimensions, the only peaceful place that truly existed. A single piece of snowy-light gracefully fell from above and landed softly on Sakura's cheek. The gentle tough awoke Sakura from her sleep and she slowly lifted herself up. Sakura looked around to see Tomoyo, Eriol and Kero lying around her asleep. She felt something touch her shoulder and upon turning around, she saw Syaoran next to her. They sat in a daze, unsure as to why they were back in the mysterious place in between worlds. A sudden thought that something terrible had happened to Jubilee and the others when the DREAM was activated. She feared that something had gone wrong when she used the card and in her worry, she grabbed hold of Syaoran.

"Sakura…"

"What happened? Why did we end up here?" Sakura asked sadly, "Did something go wrong?"

Sakura buried her face in Syaoran's arm as he held her in comfort. He couldn't explain what had happened either. Things seemed to have worked and they had expected to be brought back to their own reality but it for some reason didn't work that way.

"_Why does she cry? Puppet…"_ came a sudden eerie voice.

Sakura and Syaoran looked ahead to see the ink-black creature, Enigma standing in the distance.

"You! Why are you here?" asked Syaoran.

"_I brought you here. It is the last time you will see this place,"_ said Enigma, _"Both worlds have been restored to normal."_

"But….what do you mean…the last time?"

"_The world has been shut off just as before, until it is once again reconnected to yours for that is normality…"_ explained Enigma, "_Either that…or you find a way yourself."_

"What do you mean a way?!" exclaimed Sakura, "Why can't we ever see them again?!"

"_It is simple,"_ said Enigma, "_Intervene…"_

With that said, the scenes became blurry and Sakura and Syaoran felt as if they were falling away from the place in between. Whether they had fallen asleep by the change in the atmosphere, the world around them fell to black as silence swept through.

* * *

Sakura's eyes quickly fluttered open to find herself lying beside Syaoran on the floor surrounded by Tomoyo, Eriol and Kero. Slowly rising from her spot, Sakura lifted her head and rubbed her eyes sleepily. It was as if they had fallen asleep on her bedroom floor like nothing had ever happened. The others slowly began to awake from their slumber and rose from the ground, confused as to what had happened. Only Sakura and Syaoran had witnessed the presence of Enigma and heard what he had said. Despite that, they still were unsure as to what he meant. The only thing Sakura was concerned about was the fact that she might be unable to ever see Jubilee and the others again.

"Why are we in your room, Sakura?" asked Tomoyo.

"This must be how things reverted back to normal," said Eriol, "To make it look as if things never changed."

"Even so…we're still aware."

Sakura stood up from on the ground and without a word headed for the door. The others called out to her, asking as to where she was going. The only reply they got from her was that she was heading back to the start of it all: the old warehouse. Being disconnected from the R-Area was something Sakura didn't want to believe. She needed to see for herself if it was true. Sakura ran out the door and was followed by Syaoran, Tomoyo, Eriol and Kero. Looking out from the window, Touya watched them leave. Just like them, he still remembered the events that had taken place.

* * *

Sakura quickly rounded the corner as the others followed from behind. Up ahead, Sakura saw the warehouse and noticed that, just like before, no one was around it. Upon reaching the warehouse doors, Sakura immediately began pulling on the handles but was unable to open them.

"It's locked, I can't get inside," said Sakura with disappointment.

"We can't go back to their world."

Sakura stood in silence as she slowly leaned her head against the metal doors. Her hands still gripped the handles and lightly tugged despite how she knew they wouldn't open. Sakura had not wanted to believe it but it was true: they weren't able to get back to the R-Area. Sakura felt a gentle hand on her shoulder and she slowly looked back to see Tomoyo standing behind her. Syaoran gently placed his hands on Sakura's, signaling for her to let go. With tears in her eyes, Sakura released the handles from her grip and leaned against Syaoran's shoulder for comfort. After a few minutes, the group slowly left the warehouse, not looking back at the sad sight.

As they walked along, Sakura and Syaoran both told the others of what had happened before, in which they were approached by the creature Enigma. None of them were sure of what the creature had meant when he told them to 'intervene.' But if they wanted an answer, they were going to have to find it themselves. Each time Sakura tried to think of a solution, she felt a wave of sadness sweep over her. Syaoran noticed her sadness and felt the need to comfort her. Even though he was uncertain of what to do to be able to enter the other world once again, Syaoran wasn't about to let Sakura's hope of one day doing so fade.

"It'll be alright," he told her, "We'll find a way somehow. It just might take a while."

Sakura smiled at Syaoran for his heartening words and lightly touched his hand in thanks. Both of them now had pink tinted faces but they were happy none the less. The sudden sounds of children laughing caught their attention and they looked ahead to see a small crowd of kids in front of Maki's gift shop. Curious, Sakura and the others ran ahead and, after weaving through the small crowd, approached the store window that was attracting the attention. As soon as they came up to the window, Sakura's eyes widened. There sitting comfortably in the front store window was Loli as her original doll self. They stood in shock and confusion as to why and how Loli in the store window. Quickly, the group entered the store to find Maki happily working at the register. Upon seeing them walk in, Maki smiled at them and waved. A few of her customers collected their purchases and headed out the store as Maki walked out from behind the register.

'Sakura, I feel like I haven't seen you and your friends in a while," she said cheerfully, "How are you?"

"We're okay," Tomoyo replied with a smile.

"Maki, where did you get the doll in the window?" asked Sakura.

"Oh, that doll?" Maki asked, pointing to the front window.

Sakura nodded her head and Maki smiled.

"Two children came to my store and gave me it," she replied, "One was a girl with brown hair and a gray hat. The other was a boy with black hair and a blue hat. They said they felt sorry for the doll and asked if I could find it a good home. It was a bit beat up but I managed to fix it."

At first, Sakura had felt a ray of hope when hearing a boy and girl with brown and black hair had given Maki the doll. She had thought that maybe it had been Neo and Jubilee who had somehow entered their world and given Loli away. If it had been them, then there may have been a way to enter their world again after all. However, upon hearing that the girl had brown hair and the boy had black, Sakura's hopes disappeared: they were opposite of Neo and Jubilee.

"Did they say who they were?" asked Syaoran.

"No, they didn't give me their names."

Despite finding out that two children had brought Loli to the store, the questions as to who they were and how they got to their world were still unknown. Sakura looked out the window to see the small crowd of young girls happily looking at Loli from outside the window. There was no doubt in their minds that with this amount of admiration, Loli was bound to find a new special home. Much to the children's disappointment, Maki picked up Loli from in the window display and showed her to the group. Loli now longer wore her tattered dress or had the deep cracks in her face but now was completely fixed and clean. She looked brand new and upon her face was now a smile.

"She's rather cute, right? I just know she'll be bought by someone soon," said Maki, "She looked like she had been through a lot. It'd be nice to see this doll go to a home."

Seeing that Loli was now destined for happiness and a new home, Sakura smiled with relief. Maki placed Loli back on the display and the children outside smiled at the sight, pressing their hands and faces on the glass to see her. Sakura watched the happy children in the window and could tell that Loli was happy as well. As Sakura stared out the window, something suddenly caught her eye. Outside across the street from the store, stood two children who matched the description that Maki had given. Sakura had recognized the girl to be the one she had seen in her dreams: the one she saw before everything began.

Though Sakura and the others had not actually met them, Erowen and Adam were well aware of who they were. They stood outside the store where Loli was in and felt that they had done the right thing.

"I hope she's happy now," Adam said with optimism.

"I know she is," said Erowen, "We of all people know how it feels to be neglected and alone. All we want is happiness…so I'm sure that's all she wanted too."

Adam noticed Sakura staring at them from inside the store window and suddenly felt nervous.

"She sees us," he said uneasily, "What should we do?"

"Don't worry. Even if they find a way to re-enter our world, they won't find us there because we're not around in the world yet," said Erowen calmly, "We're the things Loli had wished to become…the ones born from mixed power and feared by many, thus hated like monsters. She would be better off as a doll then be like us."

From inside, Sakura watched as people passed by in front of her view. She was unable to see the two children who she wanted to question but when the people passing by had moved from her view, the children were no longer in sight. Sakura had wondered if it had been her imagination since no one else had noticed them but her.

"Sakura, what's wrong?" asked Tomoyo.

"Oh…," Sakura said as she looked once more out the window, "Nothing, nothing's wrong at all."

Sakura smiled reassuringly and now, knowing what had become of Loli and the doorway to the R-Area, the group left the store and headed to their homes. Sakura looked once more at the window and the now smiling Loli and saw it as hr way of saying thank you.

"You're welcome…Loli," Sakura whispered with a smile as she left for home.

* * *

Sakura lay sleepily on her bed and stared up at the ceiling deep in thought. The creature's words still played out in her mind, as if it haunted her every thought. All she wanted was to know the meaning of the words. Noticing her sadness, the cards from inside the book flew over to her and surrounded her in a circle. They hovered around her, wanting to comfort their mistress as much as possible. Sakura sat up from her bed and smiled sweetly at the cards that were so concerned for her. Wanting to see her smile even more, the cards affectionately rubbed against her face and tickled her at the touch. Sakura giggled at the cards' playfulness and could tell that her silence had saddened them.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you," she said to the cards, "I'm only sad because I can't see my new friends in the other world."

The cards suddenly moved away from Sakura and hovered uncomfortably in front of her. Sakura asked why they had suddenly become so distant from her. Kero was unsure as to the meaning behind their actions and upon asking them himself, was only answered with silence. The mass of cards parted to different sides of the room as the MIRROR card was left alone as it glowed. From within the card, Mirror released herself and took the form of Sakura. Standing before her, the Mirror smiled at Sakura and appeared to be holding something in her hands.

"Mirror?"

"Sakura, why did you say that you can't see the other people of that world again?" asked Mirror with confusion, "None us understand."

"The doorway isn't connected to our world anymore. It's locked tight," Kero told Mirror.

"I see," Mirror said with a sudden smile.

She lightly giggled and both Sakura and Kero stared perplexed. Mirror squeezed what was in her hands before extending them outward to Sakura. Upon unfolding her fingers, Mirror revealed a golden key with a small tag tied around it in her palms. The key was small but had many designs carved into its glossy surface. The key blade was rounded with many curved designs that made a heart shape. The top of the key was somewhat round with many spaces in between curved lines that were entwined together, making what looked like a connected wing pattern. In the center of the key's round wing top, were three raised green tinted diamond shapes: a large one in the middle with two smaller ones at each side. Sakura remembered seeing the same design at one point before and finally recognized it to be a symbol that she had first seen in the book about the R-Area that she read at her school. It was of Jubilee's home kingdom: Heylind.

"This is for you," said Mirror, "Those other beings…Images, left it here for you before things reverted back completely."

Sakura took the golden key from in Mirror's hands and looked at it. As she stared at its polished surface, a thought occurred to her.

"_Intervene."_

"Inter…vene…"

Sakura's eyes snapped open at the sudden realization that perhaps the key she now held in her hands was what the creature Enigma had meant by 'intervene.' Sakura grasped the key tightly in her hands and fell backwards onto her bed. She hugged the key tenderly and closed her eyes as thoughts of a possible way of seeing Jubilee and the others again entered her mind. She was once again hopeful.

As Sakura lay in her bed, holding the key that symbolized her hope, she slowly felt herself drift into sleep. Sakura dreamed sweetly of once again arriving in the R-Area as the key in her hands sparkled vibrantly. With its vivid shine, an array of light gleamed through the cracks of the closed warehouse doors, unknown to all that lived in the town of Tomoeda.

_Though separate from you, I still exist._

_And though it lies far from your reach,_

_you hold the key to possibility._

_The key to my reality that lies_

_beyond a mere dream's cloud._

_**~*The End*~**_

* * *

Reprise: And there you have it, an end to the story at last. I hope you liked how it ended. Now for a few fun facts for you:

As you may have read in another chapter, Loli as well as Molly are characters from an entirely different story (a horror story to be exact that goes by the name "_I Made Her Twisted_"). The story is actually much more complex than presented in this story. The way this story ended (mostly with how Loli was found in the darkness and is thus saved from herself) was how the actual story was intended to end (but has since acquired a much darker ending instead). Loli and Molly's names are different in their original story: Loli is actually known as Adali and Molly is Charlotte.

Now I know some people are probably asking questions concerning the mysterious children Erowen and Adam. Yes, in the story little is explained about them and that was done on purpose. So if you think you missed something or I forgot to explain something, don't worry, it was done on purpose. You may be able to figure some things out from given clues.

You can see art from "DC" and "Twisted" among other characters and such on my deviant art account LaLunaBye. Info on DC can be found on my website…if you want to know that is (link is available in my profile).

Now like I said before, I'm thinking of making a sequel but I wasn't sure but if people want a sequel then sure thing. I hope I'm able to write it okay…I've been having some confidence problems again and just have such a negative view of my stuff so…yeah lol. Hope you enjoyed everything and R&R.


End file.
